H.E. Anatol Cebuc: Moldova’s future is in the EU!
An interview with the Moldovan ambassador in Sofia on the current state of Moldovan-Bulgarian relations and Moldova’s European course
Vladimir Mitev, The Bridge of Friendship, 20 August 2024
On the occasion of the end of his term as Ambassador of the Republic of Moldova in Sofia, H.E. Anatol Cebuc gave an interview to Bulgarian National Radio and the Friendship Bridge blog about the current state of Bulgarian-Moldovan bilateral relations and Moldova’s efforts to join the EU. In the summer of 2024, the Republic of Moldova started accession negotiations with the EU. On October 20, 2024, the country will hold presidential elections and a referendum on the country’s European course. Ambassador Cebuc thanked the Bulgarian state for its support to his country in several respects – in the negotiations with the EU, in the process of economic and energy cooperation, as well as for the development of Bulgarian-inhabited areas in Bessarabia. He expressed his conviction that Moldova’s place is in the EU.
Mr. Ambassador, we are talking in the context of the end of your term of office in Bulgaria and several achievements and developments in Bulgarian-Moldovan relations. Would you be able to give an overview of what you have discussed and what has been agreed in the last period, the current state of Bulgarian-Moldovan relations and the legacy that will be left for those who will come after you?
Thank you very much for your question. During these four years of my mandate we have had a very consistent and dynamic dialog. Our relations have advanced very much in all areas – both political and economic. The number of bilateral visits speaks for this. Both at foreign minister level, at foreign president level. Rumen Radev has paid two visits to Moldova. Ileana Iotova, Vice-President of the Republic of Bulgaria, also visited Moldova. Likewise, in all international forums, there was cooperation between prime ministers, presidents, ministers. The dialog was always dynamic, with concrete results.
We even managed to do two business people’s forums, despite the fact that it was a difficult period, the COVID period. We realized them in an online format, and this year even the forum took place in a physical format in Chisinau. It was held on March 27, 2024.
We organized the joint Moldovan-Bulgarian commission, which gave an impetus and will give future support to the dialogue between the economic agents from both countries. But I would not limit myself only to previous bilateral visits. We even had many telephone conversations on sensitive topics of our bilateral dialog.
I would like to thank my colleagues, both from the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry and from all the ministries, for an openness that I have never seen before, for their input and support for all the ideas that came to improve and enhance our bilateral dialogue, our bilateral relations, to help our people. I appreciate these four years. They have been very, very pleasant years for me. They are enjoyable because we have seen results. Whatever we did together, we had results. Every topic of discussion has been solved.
We had in Bulgaria a strong supporter of our course of European integration. We had a partner in the energy crisis, in which, without Bulgaria and our neighbors, we would not have survived. So for my future colleague who will come on mission, things will be easier, but also more complicated.
We are always learning, we are always taking on new tasks, which I am very pleased to say we have managed to solve together. There were no topics on our bilateral agenda where we could not find solutions. And I am happy about that.
Once again, I thank all the Bulgarian authorities for their understanding, openness and the seriousness with which they have tackled every issue on our agenda.
You mentioned that the Republic of Moldova found itself in a difficult moment in terms of energy with the beginning of the war in Ukraine and for some time now energy relations between Bulgaria and the Republic of Moldova have intensified. What about the current state of these relations and their future?
During that difficult period for Moldova, when the war in Ukraine started, Bulgaria and Romania were among the first to help us. Now we are invited to participate in the construction of the Greece-Bulgaria-Romania section which will also ensure our energy stability. Moreover, there are already signed contracts for gas transfer through Bulgaria.
The company Energocom Moldova has obtained the necessary licenses for the sale of electricity and liquefied gas, which is a solution to achieve energy independence for our country. There is very close cooperation between the energy ministers of the Republic of Moldova and Bulgaria and this is proven by the frequent discussions, by the meetings which took place both in Chisinau and here during the reception of Moldovan Minister Parlicov in Sofia. In other words, we see Bulgaria as a serious partner which is helping us and is ready to contribute to Moldova’s energy stability.
How are the economic relations between Bulgaria and Moldova developing?
I would like to note that in our bilateral relations in the field of economy we have a positive dynamic. If in 2020, Bulgaria was on the 15th position in the Republic of Moldova’s trade ranking, now I can say that Bulgaria is one of our main trade partners. Bulgaria already occupies ninth place in this ranking.
In this context, I would like to thank Bulgaria once again for the support it is giving our country. Firstly, our citizens who are of Bulgarian ethnic origin. Last year alone, 8 projects were implemented in the Taraclia district. Their value is, to be precise, 742200 euro. These are very important projects for us, for ethnic Bulgarians in the Republic of Moldova.
The Joint Commission, as I mentioned, has made its contribution. We hope it will become the norm. Once every 2 years, let this commission meet and help to achieve the results we want.
Economic relations also influence our cultural exchanges, which I would like to mention. Many performers from the Republic of Moldova, from Taraclia, from Chisinau, and not only from Taraclia, come to folklore competitions in Bulgaria. They take part in the international folklore competition in Veliko Tarnovo, but also in the Muzite festival in Sozopol.
There is a lot that links us, including our common cultural traditions, such as the Day. of Martenitsas. Every year we jointly celebrate the Martenitsas with Bulgaria, Romania and the Republic of North Macedonia. This year the celebration was also held in Sofia under the patronage of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mariya Gabriel, and in addition to the traditional exchange of marzipan, there was also an art workshop where each diplomat, each participant could make the martenitsa of their choice.
In our economic dialog, which is also linked to our cultural dialog, I was greatly helped by the honorary consuls from the cities of Plovdiv and Burgas. We have set up a space in the Garden of the World Park in Pazargic, where the Republic of Moldova is also present with trees that traditionally grow in our country. We have a very good interaction with the Bulgarian chambers of commerce, but also with the Moldovan-Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce, which helps us, supports economic agents, and one of the direct results is the increase in trade. And we are still trying to identify economic agents who would be interested in investing in the Republic of Moldova.
We have many areas where Bulgarian economic operators can invest, such as energy, agriculture, pharmaceuticals. We have opportunities that we could develop jointly. I do not want to overlook the fact that we also have an investment from the Republic of Moldova in Bulgaria. The Purcari winery has invested in the Angel’s winery near Stara Zagora.
So we can enjoy trade and investment.
Another emphasis in the answer to the first question was related to the Bulgarian-Moldovan collaboration in the context of Moldova’s accession to the European Union. What is this collaboration and support that I understand you are receiving from Bulgaria?
The Republic of Moldova wishes, with all its citizens, to become part of this big European family. We were in Europe, but we were not part of the EU and now we want to become a member of the European Union. Now accession negotiations have been launched.
The first meeting of the intergovernmental commission has taken place and we are firmly aiming to become a full member of the European Union by 2030. We will make every effort. We are ready. Society is mobilized to do everything possible to make it happen even sooner. We are making reforms, all the reforms that are necessary, both in the field of justice, in the social-economic field, and we are trying to implement all the reforms within the agreed timeframe.
Of course, there are difficulties, but we believe in our capacities. We are confident in the will of our citizens to change the country for the better, to make it part of the European family. We are also counting a lot on the help of the EU Member States, and of course even more on the support of those countries that have joined more recently, such as Bulgaria and Romania. Their expertise is very important to us, their assistance is very important, and any advice is always appreciated and can help bring my country closer to the European Union as quickly as possible.
This is what we all want.
This summer, the Republic of Moldova started negotiating accession to the European Union, but this was the result of many efforts by the government in Chisinau to push forward reforms. How can you describe these efforts and their degree of success so far?
As you know, in order to start negotiations it was necessary to implement the first reforms in the field of justice, first of all. We managed to achieve them by March. And the results of these reforms that we implemented enabled my country to start accession negotiations.
There are still reforms to be made. We will do them, we will treat seriously the commitments that are put in front of us to achieve our objective.
We will adjust the regulatory framework in line with EU legislation. It is a huge effort, but we understand and we are ready to do it. I hope that by 2028 we will fulfill all the necessary conditions to become a member of the European Union.
We are only a few months away from the presidential elections in October 2024, which will be held at the same time as a referendum on Moldova’s accession to the European Union. In this context, it must be said that Moldova has made many efforts and has even signed military cooperation contracts with France, and recently there has been an intensification of cooperation with countries in the European Union. To what extent has Moldova’s role or importance changed since the beginning of the war in Ukraine?
Elections are a democratic process in every country. And every citizen has the right to vote. At the same time, this referendum is being held in order to confirm our European course.
The desire of all citizens is to be part of the European Union, to have a secure future, to have economic growth. We all know that when you integrate into a large economy, the effects are important and beneficial. From an economic point of view, to tell you frankly, most of our products are exported to the European Union. In other words, little by little we are integrating into the big market of the European Union.
You also mentioned something about Moldova’s neutrality. Yes, we are a neutral country, according to the Constitution. But neutrality does not imply a lack of defense capabilities or possibilities. We have previously signed various agreements and treaties with different countries to develop our defense capabilities. Joining the EU does not mean giving up neutrality. Neutrality is something you have to ensure. You cannot ensure it on your own, only through cooperation. And we want to have a state which, in the current context, has the capabilities to defend itself.
Being a member of the European Union does not mean giving up neutrality. There are countries within the EU that are neutral. So that is not a hindrance.
What can we expect for the near future of the Republic of Moldova in the context of these troubled events in the region? How do you see Moldova’s future?
Frankly, I see Moldova’s future as that of an EU Member State. It is a security, it is an added value for all of us, for each individual citizen, first and foremost. Sharing democratic values is natural. We all want our voice to be heard. We all want our voice to be understood and implemented. Everyone wants a more prosperous life.
You can have a prosperous life where there is security in the future, which we see in the European Union. We are a European state, but we also want to be a member state of the European Union, with similar values that all the member states of the European Union have. We have a democracy, we have freedom of speech, we have the ability and the desire to be part of this united family of the European Union.
Photo: H.E. Anatol Cebuc – Moldvan ambassador to Sofia (source: The Bridge of Friendship)
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