Bernard Guetta: EU must immediately sign deals with Moldova and Ukraine to boost political and economic ties
The Republic of Moldova is a European country, and the European Union (EU) should act without delay to anchor it more firmly in the community space. The statement belongs to French MEP Bernard Guetta, who supports the need to immediately conclude bilateral agreements between the European Union and the Republic of Moldova, as well as with Ukraine, to boost the process of accession of these states to the community bloc.
"I am a great supporter of the development of immediate bilateral agreements between the European Union and Ukraine, on the one hand, and the Republic of Moldova, on the other. Because, as we all know very well, accession negotiations take time in any case", the MEP said in an interview with Teleradio-Moldova's Brussels correspondent, Dan Alexe.
Guetta referred to the fact that other countries, such as Montenegro or Serbia, have been negotiating EU accession for over ten years.
The MEP said that the Republic of Moldova must be supported concretely, not only through political declarations, but also through partnerships that would allow its gradual integration into the European market and institutions.
"We must immediately develop bilateral agreements that would link the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine to the European Union and that would accelerate the real accession process, which they want", he said.
Ukraine – essential partner for European security
As for Ukraine, the French MEP spoke about the need for in-depth cooperation in the field of defense.
“We want to develop pan-European arms industries in the European Union. Today, with whom can we do this? Obviously, with Ukraine, which brings us expertise in modern warfare and modern weapons that we do not have in the European Union. So, let's develop it immediately," said Bernard Guetta, welcoming the initiatives of the European Commission in this regard.
He added that in the case of the Republic of Moldova, there are also numerous areas in which cooperation can begin immediately.
“There are 1,000 things to do and that we can do right now on the basis of multilateral agreements that, once again, will accelerate and facilitate the process of accession to the European Union”, Dan Alexe’s interlocutor said.
"Moldovans are Europeans"
When asked about the belonging of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova to the European space, MEP Bernard Guetta pointed out that "their place is in Europe, yes": "Obviously, their place is in Europe, since they are Europeans!".
Other statements by MEP Bernard Guetta, from the interview given to Dan Alexe:
About Russia: if Vladimir Putin's regime is defeated, the Russian Federation risks falling apart, being held together only by the force of dictatorship;
About Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin: The West did not support Gorbachev in time, and the unconditional aid granted to Yeltsin led to "the greatest robbery in history", fueling Russians' distrust in democracy;
On the collapse of the USSR: the tragedy was not the fall of the Soviet Union, but the brutality of the transition, which generated social chaos and oligarchy;
On the future of Europe: the European Union must define its cultural and political borders but without excluding countries that share European values and history.
