BUCHAREST, Romania — Senior officials from the European Union were in Moldova on Friday for a landmark bilateral summit to strengthen ties and reaffirm the bloc’s commitment to the EU candidate country, just months before it holds a pivotal parliamentary election.

Moldova’s pro-Western President Maia Sandu and Prime Minister Dorin Recean held talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Council President António Costa in the capital, Chisinau. Talks focused on EU membership, trade, investments and security.

Sandu thanked the EU leaders for attending the summit, the first bilateral of its kind, which she hailed as a “milestone in our relationship, that we intend to make a regular platform.”

Brussels agreed to open accession negotiations with Moldova for EU membership last year after granting official candidate status in June 2022, the same day as neighboring Ukraine. Moldovans last year also voted narrowly in favor of securing the country’s path toward joining the EU.

“For the first time, we are being seen as a natural part of the European family,” Sandu said after talks, adding that it “shows that our country’s accession to the EU is already underway — it’s no longer a distant dream or a vague promise.”

Costa and von der Leyen said after meetings that Moldova has made progress in its bid to join the 27-nation bloc and is ready to deepen accession talks.

Moldova’s EU membership is conditional on the country enacting reforms in policy areas, known as chapters and clusters, in areas such as the rule of law, fundamental rights and economic reforms, a process that will likely take years.

Brussels is providing Moldova with up to 1.9 billion euros ($2.2 billion) between 2025 and 2027 — 270 million euros of which von der Leyen announced was released Friday.