Thomas Byrne, Minister of State for European Affairs and Defence
Minister Thomas Byrne visited Moldova
Minister Thomas Byrne was received by Moldovan President Maia Sandu.
Thomas Byrne:
Honoured to have been welcomed by the President of Moldova, Maia Sandu, to Chișinău.
Earlier this week, I was proud to undertake the first-ever St Patrick’s Day Ministerial visit to Moldova.
At government-level, my visit provided the opportunity to meet with President Sandu, Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration, Cristina Gherasimov, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Carolina Perebinos. It was also a privilege to meet the Prime Minister of Moldova, Alexandru Munteanu.
In all of my meetings, the warmth of the relationship shared between Ireland and Moldova, and our respective people, was very evident.
I also took the opportunity to stress how Ireland’s upcoming EU Presidency will focus on advancing EU enlargement, and strongly supporting Moldova’s European path.
The people of Moldova have been clear that they want their country to join the EU, and President Sandu and I had the opportunity to discuss Ireland’s unwavering support for Moldova as an EU candidate country.
I also acknowledged the impact that Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has had on Moldova, and recognised the solidarity the country has shown with the Ukrainian people, by hosting a large number of refugees.
Recent months saw the opening of a permanent Irish Embassy in Chișinău, led by Ambassador Myles Geiran, which is also a reflection of Ireland’s growing relationship with Moldova. I want to commend Ambassador Geiran and his team for their great work.
I was also delighted to speak at the first official St Patrick’s Day reception in Chișinău, which was attended by members of the Moldovan government, parliament, diplomatic corp, and wider society.
At the reception, it was fantastic to meet with many Moldovans who previously called Ireland home, and contributed to Irish society, and who have now brought their skills and experience back to Moldova.
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