“Moldova must take advantage of its geographic position and collaborate with both East and West”, US Ambassador

“It’s important that Moldovans take advantage of the geographic position of their country and collaborate with both East and West, in order to have strong multilateral cooperation relations”, said the Ambassador of the United States of America in Chisinau, Asif Chaudhry, during an open lecture at the Public Administration Academy under the patronage of the Moldovan President’s Office, Info-Prim Neo reports. Speaking about US Vice President Joe Biden’s visit in Moldova, the diplomat remarked that this was a “historic event”. “I’ve been a diplomat for 25 years and I can certainly say things like these don’t come easy. Before his departure, the US Vice President said Moldova was a wonderful country and he was received as warmly as possible. What happened in the National Opera Square was unique and exceptional. The US Vice President’s visit in Moldova can be appreciated for two reasons: it was a summary of our bilateral relationship and a message that the USA doesn’t tolerate the idea of spheres of influence. This is our firm policy”, the US Ambassador said. “Another aspect of our relationship is the economic prosperity of your country”, he mentioned. “We’ve invested a lot of resources in this domain. The well-being of the Moldovan people depends on it. Through the Millennium Challenge Corporation, we’ll invest $262 million on agriculture and infrastructure renovations”, he said. He also spoke about the settlement of the Transnistrian conflict. “I have often explained, and the US Vice President did as well, the US stance on this issue: it can be settled only by maintaining Moldova’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. There are two possibilities: adopting trust enhancing measures between people on both sides of the Nistru River and determining the legal status of Transnistria. We’re working on both aspects within 5+2 negotiations”, he said. The American diplomat commented on the special status of the host institution. “The Public Administration Academy isn’t a simple higher education institution, it’s a special one, for there’s no domain more honorable and important than working for the government, than training specialists, who will further work in central and local public administration structures”, Asif Chaudhry said.