H.E. Mrs. Larisa Miculet:

I thank the Deputy for his support. I will pass it on to the country today. It is going to be very encouraging. I ask members to allow me to share an anecdote with them. On the afternoon of 3 March, I met with management and Moldovans at a meat processing factory in Nenagh in County Tipperary. There are 100 Moldovans working there. When I was talking to them, I was asked to share with the people the fact our country had just signed the application to join the EU. I shared that with them. I wish the members had had the chance to see how the people applauded and welcomed the announcement, and to witness the joy that was there. The feelings among the diaspora here are the same as among the people of Moldova. The Deputy's points are very encouraging. It will encourage both Moldovans in Ireland and the people in Moldova.

On the issue of Transnistria, it is true that in our country there is a frozen conflict. There is a settlement process which follows the 5+2 format. The EU is also an observer. We dealing strongly with this conflict through the format. We also count very much on the OECD, where we have the support of the member states. I know we have the support because I spoken to many officials around here. Currently, the settlement process has been paused. It is understandable, given the current situation. We were supposed to have our next meeting in May, but it will be postponed.

I wish to make another point. We understand this situation as we move forward with our application to join the EU. As I said in my opening remarks, that is why we have to enforce the security component and co-operation with the EU in different ways and through different programmes. We will see what will come. At the same time, I will repeat the point I made previously that all the actors understand the standard best processes of European integration and conflict resolution have their own dynamics. We are working hard on both of them. We hope very much that when we expedite the process of joining the EU, the settlement process will also advance.

On the issue of Transnistria, I wish to add that people in Transnistria already feel the benefits of working closely with the EU. Companies in Transnistria can export goods through Moldova legally and officially. The people of Transnistria have Moldovan passports and can travel. They know there are a lot of benefits. There are days when they see more progress being made on coming closer to the EU. We are absolutely sure the Tranistrian settlement process will also progress more quickly. The general feeling among the people there is that they support Ukraine. They are calm. The general feeling is they do not want war in the region. That provides good grounds for a settlement and working towards conflict resolution. It is encouraging.

The Deputy asked about NGOs. We tried to engage with NGOs, but they were very busy. I have meetings planned with the Red Cross, the Irish Emergency Alliance and Oxfam. I have three meetings. All of the NGOs have told us they are already working in the surrounding countries providing assistance. They are working in Moldova in particular. I will meet with those NGOs personally to discuss in more detail their needs, where we can help, and how we can work together to emphasise these efforts. We are very grateful to them. We know what they are doing. Generally, we are aware of the unbelievable response of Irish people in providing help and so on.