"Chances are that Moldova may finish the phase by fall and possible – it is not yet 100 percent clear, it will require two EU missions, assessments, reports – that the summit may state there are preconditions for opening direct talks on visa-free travels between Moldova and the European Union," Lithuania's permanent representative to the European Union, Ambassador Raimundas Karoblis, told journalists on Thursday.
In his words, other countries involved in the Eastern Partnership program, including Ukraine, are behind Moldova in terms of the progress made in the area.
"Others are still far far behind in the area, staring with Ukraine, which was the first one to start the process," the ambassador said.
The Eastern Partnership initiative covers bilateral and multilateral EU cooperation with Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Moldova, promoting closer ties of the EU nations with the EU.
The Eastern Partnership summit will take place in Vilnius in the end of November in the framework of Lithuania's presidency over the EU Council.
