The Embassies of Germany and France in the Republic of Moldova celebrated in Chisinau the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Elyseé Treaty. According to the ambassadors of the two countries, the opening of the Franco-German youth office was a major accomplishment of the document as this facilitated youth exchanges. Over 9.5 million young people have formed part of this program so far. There was also created a Franco-German university network, IPN reports.
The Ambassador of France to Moldova Graham Paul said the founding of the network of Franco-German universities enabled the young people to return from studies with a dual diploma. “This treaty is remarkable as it is a succinct and practical document. It has four pillars: foreign policy, defense, education and the youth. No one obliges you to agree something, but you are obliged to discuss each aspect, each problem that is important for the two counties. This obligation is imposed on each minister, each high-ranking official and each French or German ambassador. Owing to this obligation, we created what is called the Franco-German reflex,” stated Graham Paul, referring to the importance of the treaty.
Germany’s Ambassador Margret Uebber said the Treaty that was signed on January 22, 1963 brought to an end the long-lasting enmity between Germany and France and marked the reconciliation between the two states. Two courageous politicians were needed to overcome this situation. These were German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer and General Charles de Gaulle.
The German diplomat noted that France and Germany are pillars of the European family that is willing to accept new countries, such as the Republic of Moldova, which is already a European country. “Surely, the country needs to fulfill conditions to formally join the EU and we see that a lot of efforts have been made in this regard. Germany has supported the Republic of Moldova on its European path for Moldova to do the necessary reforms and we hope that Moldova will be able to join the EU in the near future. The implementation of the action plan is important. We will also continue the dialogue with the European institutions so as to agree the next steps,” stated Margret Uebber.
Germany has a series of projects to strengthen local administration, projects to support SMEs and the economy of the Republic of Moldova. “We will concentrate efforts on energy efficiency, saving of energy. Germany has good practices in this regard, which can be implemented in Moldova,” noted the Ambassador of Germany in Chisinau.
