Slovenian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs visits Moldova after more than ten years

The last Slovenian foreign minister to visit the Republic of Moldova was former Minister Samuel Žbogar in 2011, which is why Minister Fajon expressed her great satisfaction with her visit to Chisinau. In the discussion with the highest representatives of the country, she emphasised that Slovenia will endeavour to further strengthen the political dialogue and to foster economic cooperation between the two countries.

Minister Fajon met with the President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, the President of the Moldovan Parliament, Igor Grosu, the Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration, Oleg Serebrian, and the Governor of the National Bank of Moldova, Anca Dragu.  President Sandu and Minister Fajon mainly discussed the country’s path to accession to the European Union. Minister Fajon praised the country’s progress and the adopted reforms, particularly those concerning the rule of law, democratic institutions, human rights, the fight against corruption and economic reforms. She said that Slovenia’s expertise in this area is always available to Moldova and assured President Sandu of Slovenia’s continued support. They also discussed the pressing issue of the war in Ukraine, which borders Moldova. Slovenia will continue to provide support through development projects. In 2022, the ITF Enhancing Human Rights Security, in partnership with the Moldovan organisation NGO Interaction, began implementing the project Medical and Psychosocial Assistance to Ukrainian Refugee Children in Moldova. The principal aim of the project was to provide medical and psychosocial assistance to an increased number of Ukrainian children, their parents and older guardians who fled the country and remain alongside the Moldovan-Ukrainian border. As the goals for the 2022-2024 period have been achieved, the ITF will continue to implement its activities in this field in 2025-2026.  

Both President Sandu and Minister Fajon agreed that Europe must do more to ensure a path to peace in Ukraine.

With the President of the Moldovan Parliament, Igor Grosu, Minister Fajon mainly discussed the possibilities of strengthened cooperation in the fields of economy, environment, tourism, renewable sources and IT in view of Moldova's path towards the EU. President Grosu highlighted Slovenia’s expertise in the fight against climate change, waste management and the circular economy. He stated that Slovenia serves as a model for Moldova in this regard.

Slovenia is carrying out multiple projects in Moldova, one of which is also the project entitled Sustainable Forest Management in Moldova, which uses the digital tool iForest. The project’s key aims are to strengthen environmental protection, develop iForest's digital database, increase forest cover and raise awareness of the importance of sustainable forest management. Through the Center of Excellence in Finance (CEF), Slovenia is implementing a project entitled National Bank of Moldova - Institutional Transformation into a Learning Organisation, which aims to strengthen the National Bank of Moldova’s capacity in lifelong learning, expertise management and the development of leadership and soft skills of its employees. At the same time, Slovenia is carrying out a project to strengthen the public finance and central banking capacities of Ukraine and Moldova.

During Minister Fajon’s visit, all interlocutors expressed gratitude to Slovenia for sharing its experience in the negotiating process for Moldova’s accession to the EU. The Deputy Minister for Reintegration Serebrian brought up the September elections in Moldova, which are crucial for the country’s continued path towards the EU.

In the meeting with the Governor of the National Bank of Moldova, Anca Dragu, the latter expressed a great satisfaction and gratitude to Slovenia for implementing the CEF projects. She also presented the main challenges of the small and open economy on the path towards the EU.