Moldova is a multiethnic state and therefore it counts on and appreciates a lot the cooperation with the OSCE and its assistance in ensuring social cohesion, promoting tolerance and developing a powerful society, Prime Minister Pavel Filip said in a meeting with the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM) Astrid Thors. The officials discussed the intercultural cohesion in Moldova and the necessity of efficient policies for supporting the national minorities, IPN reports.

Special attention in the discussions was devoted to the national strategy for strengthening the interethnic relations in Moldova that was worked out with the support of experts of the HCNM. In this regard, the Premier noted that the draft strategy was already sent to the Council of Europe for assessment. “Immediately after we receive the Council of Europe’s appraisal, we will insist on the promotion of this document. We will make effort for the adopted document to be comprehensive and to take into account the best international practices in the area of national minorities,” stated the Premier.

The High Commissioner voiced hope that the strategy will be adopted as soon as possible, noting that social tolerance ensuring is topical for the whole Europe. “The adoption of this strategy will represent an important step for the Republic of Moldova,” said Astrid Thors.

The discussions also focused on the support provided by the OSCE for enabling the national minorities to study the official language, the cooperation with the authorities of the Territorial Administrative Unit of Gagauzia and the central public administration reform.