European leaders meet in Moldova – WORLD

European leaders gather in MoldovaThe leaders of almost 50 European countries are taking part in the meeting of the European Political Community in Moldova.
– With the summit, which was also attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the EU and Western countries want to send a “message of strong unity” against Russia.
– NATO AWACS aircraft provide air defense to Moldova, which closed its airspace during the BULBOACA (AA) summit – Almost 50 leaders from Europe gathered in Moldova for the second meeting of the European Political Community (AST).Leaders of 47 countries in Europe At the ACT summit in the historic Mimi Castle, about 40 kilometers from Chisinau, invited the institutions of the continent and the European Union (EU), except Russia and Belarus. The ACT summit was also attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The Ukrainian leader, whose participation was not previously officially announced, was received by the President of the neighboring and host country of Moldova, Maia Sandu, on October 6, 2022 in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic presiding over the EU. second semester. At this summit it was decided to hold the second meeting in Moldova.– “strong message” of RussiaThe second AST meeting in Moldova with a population of 2.6 million is seen as a “powerful message of unity” delivered to Moscow from the EU and Western countries. He emphasizes that he wants to show that he supports the pro-Moldovan government. .– Moldova wants to speed up the EU accession processLast year, the EU simultaneously granted “candidate country” status to Ukraine and Moldova, about three months after Russia’s attack on Ukraine began. During the summit, the EU is expected to emphasize its strong support for Moldova. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who arrived in Moldova the day before the summit and opened the EU partnership mission in the country, said that about 50 heads of state and the government were in Chisinau. He stressed that his visit to the Kremlin was “a very strong signal” for the Kremlin. Von der Leyen said: “Moldova is in the center of Europe. Moldova is Europe”. During the summit, the Moldovan government will also try to convince the leaders of member states, especially Germany and France, and the EU administration to speed up the EU accession process and grant membership as soon as possible, which usually takes many years, announced that they want to become members by 2030.– Azerbaijan-Armenia and Kosovo are also on the agendaThe AST is considered a platform where leaders should exchange ideas and evaluate issues that need to be addressed. One of them will take place as part of efforts to achieve peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will continue negotiations in Moldova at the initiative of European Council President Charles Michel. .This time, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron will also take part in the meeting of the three leaders.The situation in Kosovo is also on the agenda, where tensions have escalated again in recent days during the summit. Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić are among the leaders attending the AST meeting. The participation of the two leaders is seen as an opportunity for the leaders to discuss the issue, and there will be roundtable meetings between the leaders during the summit. The meetings, which will be attended by leaders in 4 groups, were organized around the main topics of security, energy and transport.– NATO aircraft in the air for safetyLarge-scale security measures were also taken in connection with the summit in Chisinau. While the airspace is closed to flights, NATO airborne early warning aircraft, known as AWACS, operate in Allied airspace to help ensure security. In addition, security forces held the main streets of the city, while some roads were closed to movement. The journalists were taken by train to the Bulboaca area, where Mimi Castle is located 40 kilometers from the city, where the peak is located. For security reasons, alternative transportation to the area was not provided. Journalists from nearly 50 countries reached the region after an hour-long train ride.