OREANDA-NEWS. March 25, 2013. The Moldovan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) today organised a Moldovan-Czech business meeting on the occasion of the meeting of the Moldovan-Czech joint intergovernmental commission for economic cooperation, which is currently taking place in Chisinau. Attending the meeting were important officials, six Czech businessmen and almost 30 Moldovan economic agents.

At the beginning of the event, the chairman of the Moldovan CCI, Gheorghe Cucu, thanked the Czech officials and businessmen for showing interest in Moldova, saying the meeting was meant to present businessmen new investment and joint business partnership opportunities.

The chairman of the Moldovan delegation in the Moldovan-Czech joint intergovernmental commission, Deputy Economics Minister Octavian Calmic said the creation of this commission, three years ago, had boosted up Moldovan-Czech commercial ties. “We had an efficient collaboration in the transport, energy, standardisation, consumer protection and other sectors. We would further back and find new sectors and projects in order to draw investments and boost up commercial ties,” Calmic said.

The chairman of the Czech delegation in the Moldovan-Czech joint intergovernmental commission, Czech Deputy Industry and Trade Minister Milan Hovorka said the Czech Republic backed Moldova’s EU aspirations and welcomed the negotiations on signing the deep and comprehensive free trade agreement with the EU. “We will back Moldova in completing these negotiations in 2013, so that the Moldovan economy could benefit from this agreement as much as possible. Businessmen must also be ready to deal with the free competition. The supply of Moldovan goods on the Czech market is currently more diverse, due to an increase in the trade turnout. We are willing to let you learn from our experience in order to help you face the challenges of a free competitive market,” Hovorka said.

The participants held bilateral meetings after the official part had ended. Representatives of companies activating in the banking sector, companies that offer investment credits and finance export activities, companies providing informational, consultancy, logistics, agriculture and research services as well as enterprises producing acrylic materials, were part of the Czech delegation.

According to data of the National Statistics Bureau, the Moldovan-Czech trade turnout amounted to 81.9 million dollars in 2012, by 15.35 per cent more against 2011. The export of Moldovan goods reached 16.9 million dollars in 2012, by 49.5 per cent more against 2011. The import of Czech goods on the Moldovan market amounted to 65 million dollars, by 8.87 per cent more against 2011.

The Moldovan-Czech joint intergovernmental commission for economic, industrial and technical-scientific cooperation will hold meetings until 20 March, when the protocol to the fourth meeting of the commission would be signed.