LIVE // EPC Summit // Maia Sandu, at the toatalization conference: we reaffirmed our collective determination to bring peace to Europe
The Summit of the European Political Community is held at Mimi Castle in Bulboaca commune, the Republic of Moldova. European leaders discuss issues related to the security of the European continent in the context of the military aggression of the Russian Federation in Ukraine, energy security. On the eve of the event, the president of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, declared that this meeting will strengthen the political dialogue between EU member states and those outside, will provide real opportunities for the interconnection of the Republic of Moldova in the European space.
UPDATE 18:15 The European Political Community (EPC) Summit has come to an end. The Republic of Moldova was for one day the host of European diplomacy in the context of the large-scale event. At the moment, some official delegations are on their way to Chisinau International Airport. The Bulboaca - Chisinau route remains secured and partially suspended on certain sections.
Until 07:00 (local time) 2 June 2023, the airspace of the Republic of Moldova remains temporarily restricted for flights of civil aircraft and other airspace use activities (gliders, hot air balloons, unmanned aircraft, etc.). Only flights of aircraft carrying official delegations will be allowed.
UPDATE 17:38 Maia Sandu, at the end of the event in Bulboaca: "Today's summit shows us how valuable the European Political Co-EU is (...). We have brought the whole continent together to reaffirm our collective and firm determination to bring peace to Europe".
The statement was made by Moldovan President Maia Sandu after the European Political Community Summit.
UPDATE 17:10 Norway allocates 50 million euros to the Republic of Moldova. The announcement was made by Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre in a joint briefing with Head of State Maia Sandu. For her part, the country's president noted that discussions are still ongoing on how these financial resources will be used.
UPDATE 17:00 The Moldovan president held a trilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski and French head of state Emmanuel Macron.
UPDATE 16:39 Throughout the day there were attempts to destabilize the situation in the country by small political groups, Interior Minister Ana Revenco said.
UPDATE 16:26 The Republic of Moldova and Ukraine are part of democratic Europe, and "if we Europeans fail to help them, it means we have lost, it's that simple," Romanian President Klaus Iohannis told a press conference at the EPC Summit.
UPDATE: 13:25 The official part has ended. Participants took a family photo. Round table discussions follow.
UPDATE 13:15 Prime Minister of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte: "Ukraine must win and we must do everything possible to make this happen, to have an international coalition, to strengthen Ukraine's defense capacity. We need to train Ukrainian pilots on F16 aircraft with the help of several. We also need to expand the "Patriot" coalition."
UPDATE 13:00 Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni: "This event has a special value, because we here celebrate while the Ukrainians impress the world and show how difficult it can be to liberate a nation while defending ourselves our security and protecting international law without which no one could be safe. (...) Why are we here? I think we are here to remind ourselves that Europe is not a club. It's not just about rules and interests. Europe is a civilization".
UPDATE 12:55 The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, is giving a speech. "Today, every time we prepare to make decisions for the good of our peoples, we must not forget that any doubt we show here Russia will take advantage of it. We can have no doubts about our unity or how it responds to the challenges of our times. Here, in Moldova, fortunately I didn't hear air raids, sirens or Russian artillery", declared the president of Ukraine.
UPDATE 12:40 The Summit of the European Political Community has started. Maia Sandu gives a speech: "We cannot accept that our citizens become refugees overnight. In the last year, it showed strength and solidarity".
UPDATE 12:32 At this time, traffic restrictions have been lifted in Chisinau. At the moment, all the delegations are in Bulboaca, informs the Police.
UPDATE 12:30 At this time, all 48 heads of state and government and European leaders arrived at Mimi Castle from Bulboaca.
UPDATE 12:08 The initiator of the European Political Community, Emanuel Macron, arrived in Bulboaca and was greeted by President Sandu. He did not make statements before the event.
UPDATE 11:54 Maia Sandu welcomes the president of the European Council, Charles Michel.
"We are 45 countries present in Chisinau, it is a symbol, we will cooperate and coordinate in the field of energy, security and infrastructure. We will have the opportunity to talk about these topics today to defend those important common interests", said the President of the European Council, Charles Michel.
UPDATE 11:40 The official delegations from Denmark, Norway, France, Czech Republic, Hungary, Germany, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, Great Britain and Latvia have arrived
UPDATE 11:32 The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, arrived at Mimi Castle to participate in the Summit of the European Political Community.
UPDATE 10:54 The Romanian delegation arrived at Chisinau International Airport.
UPDATE 10:51 The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, arrived at Mimi Castle.
"I hope that the presence of many leaders here, who are close to Ukraine, a few kilometers from the border with Ukraine, will send a strong message of unity."
UPDATE 10:40 The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, arrived at Mimi Castle. The official did not make statements to the press.
UPDATE 10:34 By this time, the official delegations of Greece, Slovakia, Austria and Bulgaria have arrived at Chisinau International Airport.
UPDATE 9:50 The Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Dimitar Kovačevski, arrived at the Summit of the European Political Community. "We opened the negotiation process for joining the EU last year, on July 19. The screening process is ongoing, respectively, four chapters have already been completed. In November we plan to complete all the screening phases, the reports will be published after which the opening of the chapters will follow".
UPDATE 9:54 Alexander De Croo, Prime Minister of Belgium, welcomed by the Head of State.
"It is an important moment and the fact that almost 50 people gather here, if a year ago we had said that this would happen, no one would have believed it. In fact, this art that means being united with Europe on an important cause, it is about the stability of the continent, prosperity and peace is a very important message for countries under pressure like Ukraine and Moldova. I congratulate Mrs. President Sandu for organizing the event", said Alexander De Croo.
UPDATE 9.46 The guests of the EPC Summit are received by the head of state Maia Sandu at the Mimi Castle in Bulboaca. The first to be greeted is the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky.
"It is extremely important for us that we are here today and we will discuss very important issues, we will once again confirm our support for Ukraine in this process of resistance against Russian aggression," Maia Sandu said.
Volodymyr Zelensky announced that he will propose at the CPE Summit the creation of the "Coalition of Patriots" "We will also discuss the possibilities of support on the battlefield", said the leader from Kiev.
