P.M. Vlad Filat to make official visit to the United States by year's end

Prime Minister Vlad Filat told the press that he would make an official visit to the United States by the end of the year.

Mr. Filat's statement comes after U.S. Vice President Joe Biden met in Bucharest with Romanian President Traian Basescu, and mentioned Moldova. For a lengthier description of the event, please see an Imedia story here.

The new ruling Alliance for European Integration, which includes Mr. Filat's Liberal Democratic Party, is generally considered to be more pro-European and pro-American than the former ruling Party of Communists. The current coalition is also hoping for loans from the West to help alleviate the economic crisis, which has ravaged some sectors of the economy like construction.

The U.S. has promised to loan Moldova 262 million U.S. dollars in the near future.