Macedonia and Moldova are two friendly countries, among which there are potentials for cooperation, which, unfortunately, are not sufficiently exploited. It is necessary to intensify the political dialogue and the cooperation between the institutions of both countries, in order to boost the economic cooperation and trade, is the message sent by the President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, and the President of the Republic of Moldova, Mr. Igor Dodon, after their meeting today in Chisinau.

"In this context, I am particularly pleased that Moldova supports our initiative for signing an economic cooperation agreement, for transferring our experience in the field of attracting foreign investments, and I am pleased that this experience can be shared as it is obvious that Moldova needs experience in this sphere", President Ivanov, who is on a two-day official visit to Moldova, said.

"Our trade exchange is really symbolic, but by closing the legal framework and signing the necessary agreements, we hope that we will be able to increase the trade, because we have a similar production, especially of wine and food, and we can perform jointly on third markets, i.e. encourage exchange between our related economies", President Ivanov said.

According to the Moldovan President Dodon, there is untapped potential in terms of economic cooperation between the two countries. Hence, he offered steps that, according to him, should be taken in the near future.

"First, an intergovernmental commission on economic co-operation should be established. Usually, this mechanism gives additional motivation to solve various problems in trading. Second, it is necessary to sign additional agreements, especially on mutual protection of investments. Moldova can be an interesting country for Western investors who are to sell their products, offering security for their investments. Third, we need to strengthen the cooperation and dialogue between the business community, as mentioned by President Ivanov. It all requires good cooperation between trade and industry chambers. If the first and second step is done, I think the third will be much simpler to implement", the Moldovan President Dodon said.

During the official visit to Moldova, President Ivanov will meet with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, Mr. Pavel Filip, and the Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, Mr. Andrian Candu.