Visit to Canada by His Excellency Mr. Igor Corman, M.P., President of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, and a Parliamentary Delegation

On February 27 and 28, 2014, His Excellency Mr. Igor Corman, President of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, led a parliamentary delegation on a working visit to Ottawa, at the invitation of the Speaker of the Senate, the Honourable Noël A. Kinsella, and the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Honourable Andrew Scheer. The delegation was composed of Mr. Valeriu Ghiletchi, Member, Secretary of the Standing Committee on Foreign Policy and European Integration, Mr. Eugeniu Revenco, Advisor to the President, and Ms. Svetlana Ursu, Head of Parliament’s mass media office. Her Excellency Aia Beleavschi, Moldova’s Ambassador to Canada, also accompanied the delegation.

During the visit, the delegation signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Chair of the Canada–Moldova Parliamentary Friendship Group, Mr. Corneliu Chisu, M.P.

The delegation met with:

• The Honourable Noël A. Kinsella, Speaker of the Senate;
• The Honourable Andrew Scheer, M.P., Speaker of the House of Commons;
• The Honourable Pierre Poilievre, P.C., M.P., Minister of State for Democratic Reform; and
• Several senators and Members at an official reception hosted by Speakers Kinsella and Scheer and at a dinner hosted by the Canada–Moldova Parliamentary Friendship Group.

The visit gave the two countries an opportunity to cultivate their bilateral relations, recently renewed with the opening of an embassy in Canada in December 2013. Interparliamentary cooperation was discussed and a Memorandum of Understanding on the subject was signed. The Moldovan delegation was also encouraged to promote the participation of their senior officials in the Canadian Parliamentary Officers’ Study Program (POSP). With the crisis in Ukraine, concerns on all sides were discussed. Moldova’s move toward greater integration with the European Union was raised, despite Russian reluctance that could potentially lead to difficult bilateral relations between the two sides. Talks also focused on agriculture and energy, two areas of increased economic cooperation. Student exchanges at the post-secondary level were also discussed. Lastly, discussions, particularly with the Minister of State for Democratic Reform, were held on strengthening democracy and the rule of law in Moldova.