Moldovan President Hopes to Attract Investments, Boost Trade With France

CHISINAU (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th February, 2021) Moldovan President Maia Sandu on Thursday said she hoped to attract more French investments to her country and boost the volume of trade between the two states.

The Moldovan leader on Wednesday arrived in Paris on an official visit to meet with her French counterpart Emmanuel Macron and several high-ranking government officials. She had already met with Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian.

"France is one of the top ten investors in Moldova, we want to increase the volume of trade with France, and we also want to attract more French investments to Moldova. Moldova is a small country with a strategic location between East and West, with an attractive economic potential, which we offer you to take advantage of," Sandu said during a joint briefing with Macron, which was broadcast on the Elysee's Facebook.

The Moldovan leader added that two-thirds of Moldovan exports go to EU countries, in part because of the Moldova-European Union Association Agreement, signed in 2014 and in force since 2016.

The treaty, in particular, establishes a duty free regime between Moldova and European nations and provides for cooperation in economic policy, to bring Moldova's trade legislation in line with that of the EU.

Sandu also expressed gratitude to Macron for France's support of Moldova in economic and political spheres. For his part, the French president expressed intention to deepen the relations between the two countries and noted that Sandu's arrival to Paris marked the first official visit of the leader of Moldova in the last 24 years.

Macron added that Paris would provide support to Chisinau for investment projects and the fight against COVID-19 pandemic.