Doha, 01 June 2020 (Qatar Tribune)

By Ashraf Siddiqui

Ambassador of Moldova to Qatar H. E.  Prof. Victor Tvircon has thanked The Amir His Highness sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani for sending medical assistance to Moldova to help combat the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

In an exclusive interview with Qatar Tribune, ambassador Tvircon described Qatar’s medical supplies to his country as an important and life-saving gesture for a country that is confidently battling the coronavirus pandemic. He termed the assistance as a significant move in the history of diplomatic relations between Moldova and Qatar.

On behalf of the president, government and the citizens of Moldova, the envoy praised the wise leader-ship of The Amir His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. He said Moldova is thankful for the medical assistance delivered by Qatar, saying: “Our country will never forget the solidarity of our Qatari friends which helps to save lives.”

The envoy said Qatar’s medical assistance is the first-ever humanitarian assistance by any Arab country to Moldova, which makes the gesture even more special. Prof Tvircon has been non-resident ambassador of Moldova to Qatar in 2003 when he was based in Ankara. He said, “It is great to be back in Qatar, this time in my capacity as resident ambassador of Moldova. I am proud to be the first envoy of my country to Qatar and first in an Arab country to contribute to the establishment of solid diplomatic relations between both the countries.”

He said he was also present at the time of signing of document of diplomatic relations between the two countries on June 13, 1997, adding that the event gave him the motivation and energy to continue expanding the cooperation between Qatar and Moldova. The ambassador said arriving shortly before the pandemic gave him the chance to see Qatar and feel the life here as he was able to observe the rapid and robust development Qatar has been witnessing in the past few years, such as in the areas of impressive infrastructure, professional services, expanded economy and others.

“Currently, I feel safe as a resident of Qatar and I fully trust the public policies adopted by the Qatari leadership. We have strong plans for great ambitious activities this year, which we will try to achieve,” he said.Talking about the economic relations, the envoy said the trade figures between the two countries are promising with lots of potential.  He said, “This is why our country is undertaking various activities to improve the figures and make itself more known here in Qatar.

Generally speaking, we export to the Qatari market agricultural produce, such as fruits and meat products. However,there is potential for exportation of walnuts and honey products too.”He added, “Allow me to say that with the existent potentials and the favourable legislation based on financial incentives, free economic zones and other facilitations for investments, Moldova can be of great interest in attracting Qatari investments to its economy. There are tremendous opportunities in the agricultural, construction, education sectors. Another strong sector for investments is the IT communications, where many foreign com-panies make use of the educated and skilled labour force available in my country. The government offers incentive to companies that want to establish in Moldova.

Highlighting the other areas of interests, Prof Tvircon listed sectors such as tourism, where Moldova has unique features to offer to the local market, such as ecotourism and hunting. “We also want more Qatari  companies to participate in the specialised forums and exhibitions as well as organised business trips.“We are in the unique position where we need to mutually promote each other country’s image, so that it will be easier to build bridges of cooperation between        Moldova and Qatar,” he said.

Replying to a query about any changes in his daily routine due to the pandemic impact, he said that work never stops. “Although it might look like when embassies are closed to the public, there will be less work. Actually, there’s a lot of backstage responsibilities that have to be fulfilled, ranging from administrative tasks to political cooperation,  so, I turn to embassy daily with my team to manage these tasks,” the envoy added.

He said the coronavirus pandemic has emphasised the importance of solidarity of people in combating crisis, the value of human life and joint intellectual and material efforts for the prevention of such pandemics in future.