President Sandu meets with Zelensky in first foreign visit

The Ukrainian and Moldovan presidents met in Kyiv on
Jan. 12 to discuss bilateral cooperation in several key spheres, Ihor Zhovkva,
the deputy head of the President’s Office, reported on his Facebook page.
Volodymyr Zelensky and Maia Sandu discussed the creation of a presidents’ council
to renew and coordinate dialogue, mutual support in regional security, ensuring
the sovereignty and territorial integrity of their states, renewing Ukrainian
energy exports to Moldova, the Dniester Hydroelectric Power Plant and
determining ownership and delineation of its surrounding territory, and
language and ethnic minority rights.

Zelensky told a press briefing that he also discussed
with Sandu plans for a highway connecting Kyiv and Chisinau. “With this goal,
we discussed the construction of a cross-border bridge across the Dniester
River. This will reduce travel between the capitals of our states to five
hours,” he said.

The Jan. 12 meeting occurred on just the second full
working day of Sandu, who was inaugurated as president on Dec. 24. It was also
her first official visit as president. “The visit was both symbolic and
importance from the viewpoint of results,” Zhovkva said.

Zenon Zawada: It makes
perfect sense for Sandu to make renewing relations with Ukraine her top
priority as Moldovan president, putting an end to four years of pro-Russian
policies by her predecessor. She could also play a valuable role in preventing
Zelensky from getting too cozy with the Kremlin. So we expect this relationship
to be strategic for Zelensky, Sandu and Western interests.

Meanwhile, projects such as a highway between Kyiv and
Chisinau can only be welcomed. Critics are dismissing it as an irrelevant
project with an irrelevant country, but we see it as promoting cooperation
against Russian aggression and towards Euro-Atlantic integration. If it is
launched by Zelensky, it would be among his top achievements.