Moldova Hosts the EPC Summit #7

That's a wrap for today...

Today’s EPC Summit was a historic moment for Moldova where the small town of Bulboaca became the center of Europe for a day. The public parts of the summit have mostly ended with attending heads of state moving to a working dinner of traditional Moldova dishes and wines. Bilateral and small group meetings will continue into the evening and there is the potential of additional press conferences by different European leaders but Moldova’s main statements are at an end for now.

One notable small group meeting was between the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan, France, Germany and European Council President Charles Michel. The meeting was inconclusive but Charles Michel said that there was progress and this 5 sided talk format would continue in Brussels on July 21. There had been hopes of concrete steps towards peace at this EPC Summit, but lacking that the agreement to keep talking is a positive step.

We’ll return in the coming days with a more comprehensive summary and analysis of this event and what it means for Moldova. In the meantime, and on a personal note, I have to say it was an honor to cover such a seminal event in Moldovan history for Moldova Matters. When I first came to Moldova in 2012 it was inconceivable that such a major world event would take place here. While the circumstances of the summit are inextricably linked to the ongoing death and suffering that Russia is inflicting on Ukraine it is undeniable that today represented a silver lining to the dark clouds over Europe. The continent has never been more united and the solidarity of countries both in and outside the EU was on full display. It is my hope, and the hope expressed many times here today in speeches and press conferences, that this summit represents a major step in bringing Moldova and Ukraine closer to their aspirations of EU membership, and towards the restoration of peace in Europe.

Note to self… don’t forget sunglasses next time.

Thanks to everyone who subscribes to Moldova Matters. Today there were over 700 journalists covering the EPC Summit but most days there is precious little information written about Moldova in English. These are critical times in Moldovan history and it is important that people understand what is going on in this very important but poorly understood part of Europe. If you can afford it, please consider subscribing to Moldova Matters. It’s just $5 / month and goes a long way to supporting the production of this newsletter.

If you missed our earlier posts about the EPC see…

1. Update 1: National leaders from 48 countries will soon arrive at Castel Mimi in Bulboaca

2. Update 2: President Volodymyr Zelensky first to arrive in Bulboaca

3. Update 3: 49 Heads of State, Government and EU Institutions have now arrived at Castel Mimi

4. Update 4: Plenary Session of the EPC

5. Update 5: Full text of President Sandu's Keynote at the EPC Plenary

6. Update 6: The General Press Conference and Zelenskyy takes questions