President of the Republic of Moldova Nicolae Timofti participated today, 25 October current year, in the Summit of Heads of State of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) held in Minsk, capital city of Belarus.
In a speech given at the meeting, president Timofti informed about Moldova’s European integration process as a strategic project of the country’s development. At the same time, the Head of State voiced confidence that Moldova’s pro-European orientation would not jeopardise the mutually advantageous ties, set within CIS over the past 20 years, and Moldova would continue to be a reliable partner for the CIS states.
President Timofti highlighted the importance of promoting concrete economic and social projects within the CIS, with emphasis put on the energetic and food security, as well as the need to remove the artificial barriers to the movement of goods within the CIS area.
President Timofti along with his counterparts who attended the summit signed a string of documents, inter alia, on tourism cooperation; fight against organised crime, drugs and human trafficking, as well as on organisation of events on the occasion of the 70th anniversary from the end of the World War II in 2015. President Timofti said that the Republic of Moldova would make its own medals dedicated to this anniversary, with no sickle and hammer on them, because of the political connotation these symbols have in Moldova.
The CIS chairmanship, currently held by the Republic of Belarus, was taken over by Ukraine, which will lead this body in 2014.