Moldovian ambassador to speak in Mount Olive College on March 20
By News-Argus Staff
Published in News on March 18, 2008 1:46 PM
The ambassador of the Republic of Modova is scheduled to make a "major announcement" during his visit to Mount Olive College on Thursday, a college official said.
Dr. Ken Stokes, dean of the Tillman School of Business at the college, said that Nicolae Chirtoaca, ambassador to the U.S., will be speaking at 3 p.m. in the Southern Bank Auditorium of Raper Hall.
A country located in Eastern Europe, Moldova is an emerging economy and young democracy transitioning to a market economy with democratic political institution.
Chirtoaca will be discussing relations between Moldova and the United States, as well as recent economic and political developments in Moldova.
Stokes noted that the audience expected for the presentation will be diverse, comprised of students, faculty, the business community and representatives from the political arena.
The ambassador, he added, will announce Moldova's intention to launch formal commercial initiatives with North Carolina, promoting economic development thorugh science and technology, foreign direct investment and trade and commerce. He will also be proposing a formal agreement between chambers of commerce in North Carolina and Moldova.
The timing of the visit and announcement couldn't be better, Stokes said.
"Moldova is increasingly the recipient of international development funds from the World Bank and IMF, the European Union and the United States, primarily from the Millennium Challenge Corporation," Stokes said. "Its strategic location has come to warrant the attention of investors worldwide. No agricultural economy is better prepared to serve the needs of agriculture and business in Moldova than North Carolina. The expertise which can be used by Moldovan agri-business is present as the backbone of the Eastern North Carolina economy."