site.btaBulgarian Communities Are Natural Bridge for Strengthening Economic Ties between Moldova and Bulgaria: Ion Ceban, Mayor of Chisinau

Bulgarian communities in Moldova can play an important role in strengthening economic ties between Bulgaria and Moldova, as they are a natural bridge between the two countries. Common cultural and historical roots can facilitate cooperation in areas such as trade, education, culture and economic exchange. This is what Ion Ceban, Mayor of Chisinau, the capital of Moldova, said in an interview with BTA.

Ceban was part of a delegation from Moldova that visited Bulgaria at the end of February, organized by Valeri Delibaltov, Chair of the Bulgarian-Moldovan Chamber of Commerce and Industry. During the visit, the delegation held meetings with representatives of the Bulgarian government, including the Chair of the National Assembly Nataliya Kiselova.

Ceban’s meetings here have focused on measures to support the education sector, young people, Bulgarian language training and professional development of young talents from the Bulgarian communities in Moldova in order to create a trained workforce that will contribute to bilateral economic projects.

According to the Mayor of Chisinau, the Bulgarian communities in Moldova can promote cultural and historical tourism, and Bulgaria can support the organization of cultural events, festivals, and joint tourism projects. 

In Ceban's words, Bulgaria can also promote business networking between Bulgarian entrepreneurs and those from Moldova, especially in regions with a large Bulgarian community.

Ion Ceban said that Moldova considers Bulgaria not only an important economic partner, but also a model in the process of European integration and absorption of EU funds. The two delegations discussed Bulgaria's readiness to support Moldova in the process of facilitating the country's access to the European markets, which is part of the support the European Union provides to Moldova.

According to Ion Ceban, Chisinau's advantages as an investment destination include a favourable geographical location at the crossroads of trade routes, a tax and customs framework similar to that of the EU, autonomous trade preferences with the EU, a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) regime, a skilled and multilingual workforce, relatively low recruitment costs, etc.

He also said that Chisinau can draw experience from a city like Sofia in the field of urban development and infrastructure modernization. At the same time, Bulgaria's capital can learn from Chisinau how to effectively engage with local communities and manage its resources in the face of rapid development.

According to Ion Ceban, the economic potential of Moldova and Bulgaria is not reflected in the existing trade and economic relations. There is great potential in the bilateral relations between the two countries in sectors such as tourism, energy, including in terms of green energy.

In the field of energy, there is significant potential for cooperation through the transit of natural gas along the Trans-Balkan route, where Bulgaria plays a key role as a hub for connecting and transporting energy resources from Asia to Europe, Ceban pointed out.