© International Trade Centre, International Trade Forum
- Issue 1/2001
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From left to right: H.E. Petru lucinschi, President of the
Republic of Moldova; interpreter; J. Denis Bélisle, Executive
Director, ITC.
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H.E. Petru Lucinschi, President of the Republic of Moldova,
signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to boost Moldovan exports
with J. Denis Bélisle, ITC's Executive Director, on 14 January
1999. The agreement was signed during an official visit of a
high-level government delegation to ITC, led by the President and
including several ministers, to discuss technical cooperation in
trade promotion and export development.
The MOA calls for ITC to provide technical assistance to
strengthen the planned Moldovan Export Promotion Office, directly
assist businesses in developing and promoting export products, and
train Moldovan business executives on foreign trade management
issues. A needs assessment and programme design mission is planned
to develop a technical cooperation project for these
activities.
New export promotion office
Plans for the Moldovan Export Promotion Office, which is to be
established shortly by the Republic of Moldova, include assistance
in establishing a trade information centre; staff training on trade
information management and use of the Internet for market research;
and procurement of computer hardware, software and Internet
facilities.
Direct enterprise assistance will include a range of export
promotion measures, as well as technical cooperation activities to
improve productivitiy, quality and technology. Because of the
Republic of Moldova's strong agricultural sector (32.2% of GDP in
1997), Moldovan officials are highly interested in export
development of organic agricultural products.
The planned training of Moldovan entrepreneurs and business
executives will help Moldovan small and medium-sized enterprises
better penetrate foreign markets, as many enterprises today do not
have information on relevant market opportunities or international
business management techniques.
An ITC needs assessment and programme design mission is
scheduled for spring 1999 to assess needs in the above-mentioned
areas, and develop - together with Moldovan specialists - a
corresponding project document that reflects the Government's
priorities. ITC and the Government of Moldova will conduct
subsequent joint fundraising for the project.
For more information, contact S. Piskolti, Chief, Office for
Arab States, Europe and the CIS at tel. +41 22 730 0390; fax: +41
22 733 4439; e-mail: piskolti@intracen.org