CHISINAU. Feb 20 (Interfax) - Establishing a free trade area with the European Union and maintaining normal relations with CIS member countries are among Moldova's priorities, Moldovan Prime Minister Iurie Leanca told Romanian reporters on Wednesday.
"Tentative results suggest that Moldova was the most rapidly developing economy of the region in 2013. Its economy grew by around 8%. We intend to further maintain this pace because this is the only way for us to reach our goal of raising the standards of living in the country. In these conditions, it is imperative for Moldova to join a free trade area with the EU and maintain normal relations with the CIS if it wants its economy to keep growing at this rate," Leanca said.
The Moldovan prime minister said he respects the opinion of his Russian partners "who suggested giving a good deal of thought to the consequences of a free trade area with the EU and Moldova's current obligations within the Free Trade Area with the CIS," he said.
"Bearing all this in mind, I said that we are prepared to discuss problems, as well as the extent to which they are legitimate or illegitimate. We sent a copy of the Association Agreement with the EU to our colleagues in Moscow after it was initialed. We have nothing to hide. But at least as far as I am concerned, nothing else was offered to me during my contacts with my Russian counterpart," the Moldovan prime minister said.
"It is highly important in 2014 to preserve integrity and unity inside the country and inside the ruling coalition," he said.
Leanca, however, admitted that "like any family", the ruling coalition faces internal disagreements, "but the things that unite us are more important than any ideological differences."
"The fact that we will sign the Association and Free Trade Agreement with the EU in autumn helps us stay together. We see what has happened to Ukraine, where this document was initialed but was not automatically signed. That is why we need to stay consistent and continue to implement reforms. What counts most is to make sure that citizens of the country sense that these changes are for the better," he said.
When commenting on the results of public opinion surveys addressing Moldova's integration with the EU and the Customs Union, formed by Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, Leanca said he does not know "to what extent these figures reflect people's actual opinions.""We centered on the negotiations on the Association and Free Trade Agreement, as well as the possibility of visa-free travel. Others, however, tend to misrepresent the benefits of Euro-integration at meetings with citizens," Leanca said.
Hopefully, the situation will change after the EU lifts visa requirements for Moldovan citizens, he said.
The European Parliament will debate this issue next week, and its possible decision to liberalize visa rules for Moldovan citizens may come into force on July 1, 2014, he added.