Moldova Hosts the EPC Summit #6
The General Press Conference of the EPC
General Press Conference of the Summit
Following around 4 hours of bilateral and small group meetings President Maia Sandu was joined on stage by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala to give the “General Press Conference” of the EPC Summit.
The purpose and theme of the press conference was not about major announcements or specific outcomes of the bilateral meetings but as a general assessment of the European Political Community EPC as an entity. This was reflected by the speakers, as the first EPC Summit was hosted by the Czech Republic in 2022 and the next (3rd) EPC Summit will be hosted by Spain in October 2023. The EPC has chosen to hold 2 Summits per year rotating between EU member states and non-EU member states with Moldova being the first non-EU member to act as host.
Speaking to the gathered reporters President Sandu stressed European Unity and a “Family of Europe” which is "united against the biggest military aggression since WW2." She said that "we told president Zelensky we will stand with Ukraine as long as it takes" and again made clear to reporters that "Ukraine is defending Moldova too." The President also announced tangible outcomes for Moldova in the form of the gradual elimination of mobile phone roaming tariffs in the EU starting next year and the sanctioning by the EU of fugitive “criminals and oligarchs” who are trying to destabilize Moldova.
The Prime Ministers of Spain and the Czech Republic both spoke briefly focusing on their future and past hosting of the EPC respectively and highlighting the value of the EPC as a forum in support of European Solidarity.
When speaking and answering questions President Sandu noted that bilateral meetings were still ongoing and indeed are expected to continue into the evening.
President Zelenskyy Press Conference
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy took questions from reporters following the General Press Conference about the EPC. Many questions focused on the President’s statements at the plenary meeting that Ukraine wants a firm membership path to NATO at the upcoming summit in Vilnius this summer. President Zelenskyy answering questions about multiple forms of security guarantees and what Ukraine would be prepared to accept, repeatedly stressing that NATO provides the strongest and most logical security architecture for Ukraine and noting that Ukraine previously had different guarantees, specifically the Budapest Memorandum, which did not produce results when they were put to the test. He forcefully pressed Ukraine’s case for NATO membership and a united Europe of guaranteed security.
A Moldovan journalist asked the President about Transnistria. She noted that some sources from Ukraine have implied that, given approval from Moldova, the Ukrainian Army is prepared to clear the Russian troops out of Transnistria. The journalist noted that Moldova is not supportive of this path and asked if President Zelenskyy sees a path towards supporting Moldova in removing the Russian army from Transnistria peacefully.
In answer President Zelenskyy said that Ukraine “wishes no death, no bombs, no rockets and troops on your land. Ukraine always supports Moldova.” He stressed that much of what Ukraine has accomplished in the past year was once said to be impossible, noting that it was once said that there would never be Patriot missile systems in Ukraine and now there are. Speaking of the future, in strained English, he said:
"I not hope, I am sure, after we win, and I am sure we will, you will have a united country without rockets and without Russia"
Pushed on whether Ukraine would take unilateral action in Transnistria he said:
"Ukraine can respond and help Moldova only if there is a request at the highest level of the country's military and official leadership. Then Ukraine will definitely act,"
The press conference was wide ranging and we will return with additional updates in a final deep dive into the results of the EPC Summit.
Summit Security Updates
Over the afternoon we’ve been posting some quick updates on Substack notes including this interesting observation. NATO previously announced they would be deploying an AWACS electronic warfare / surveillance aircraft in order to monitor and secure the skies over Moldova. It turns out NATO did send one plane but so too did the US Air Force, Royal Air Force and French Air Force. The Royal Air Force plane apparently spent much of the afternoon in Moldovan airspace according to open source data tracked by FlightRadar24.
It is impossible not to conclude that today is the safest and most protected that Moldova has ever been in its years of independence.
More information and screenshots here in Substack notes:
Additional security related news broke during the summit when it was announced that Poland had sent 6 C130 military transport aircraft to Moldova over the last 24 hours all carry weapons and ammunition that Poland’s Minister of Internal Affairs Mariusz Kaminski stated was being donated to the Moldovan police.
Summit Organizational Updates
One of the main metrics by which the success of this EPC Summit will be judged is how well Moldova managed to organize the summit. At this time, with the caveat that bilateral meetings are likely to be held into the evening, the answer seems to be one of unmitigated success. Over the course of the day events have moved smoothly in spite of all of the stresses placed on a host by so many world leaders and delegations and over 700 journalists. Anecdotally, speaking to attending journalists, the main feeling is that this is one of the better organized and most comfortable (for them) conferences they have attended. Organizers have managed a superb job of providing workspaces, multiple spaces for formal and informal press conferences and statements and most importantly many private venues for heads of state to meet privately in bilateral or small group settings. We will write a deeper dive article after the event looking at the final outcomes and an analysis of Moldova’s organization and the impact this summit will likely have for Moldova’s international image, but at this stage it is fair to say the organizers must be very pleased with how smooth things are going.
EPC Coverage from Moldova Matters: Today Moldova Matters is covering the European Political Community Summit held in Moldova at Castel Mimi winery. We’ll post updates in a sequence of quick-hit articles over the course of the day as well as shorter posts on Substack Notes. If you missed our earlier posts see…
Update 1: National leaders from 48 countries will soon arrive at Castel Mimi in Bulboaca
Update 2: President Volodymyr Zelensky first to arrive in Bulboaca
Update 3: 49 Heads of State, Government and EU Institutions have now arrived at Castel Mimi
Update 5: Full text of President Sandu's Keynote at the EPC Plenary
David, thank you so much for your tireless and comprehensive coverage of the Castel Mimi conference. I've read everything with interest. Great reporting!