Prime Minister Vlad Filat has held a meeting with Luxembourg mayor Xavier Bettel on the sidelines of his working visit to Brussels and Luxembourg, the government's communication and press relations department has reported. The sides discussed cooperation between Moldova and Luxembourg, which has lately witnessed a positive development trend, as well as future joint projects. Bettel said that judging by his genealogical tree, his origins are in Moldova. He expressed interest in getting to know Moldova better. Xavier Bettel said that he has been holding the post of mayor for seven months now and that he favours closer cooperation ties with Moldova. He noted that although Luxembourg has a population of only 100,000, it has been facing many challenges, such as the fact that over 60 per cent of its residents were not born in Luxembourg, which requires constant efforts to ensure their social integration. Xavier Bettel said that the city has a budget of 600 million euros, a reserve fund of 590 million euros and does not have debts. The mayor said he draws high attention to the organization of cultural events. In this context, the two officials discussed the organization of Moldova's Week in Luxembourg in late October 2012. "I would like to deepen cooperation with the Republic of Moldova because I am sure that there is a lot for us to learn from each other," Bettel said. Filat thanked the mayor for his hospitability, noting that in 2010, when he paid an official visit to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, he was impressed by these places. He praised the ascendant nature of relations between Moldova and Luxembourg, noting that the two countries should make the best of the existing potential. The prime minister reiterated Moldova's interest in the development of economic and cultural relations with the city of Luxembourg and in attracting Luxembourgish investments to Moldova. "Moldova is interested in developing cooperation with the capital of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg as there are many sectors of mutual interest, such as inter-university cooperation, cultural exchanges and the takeover of Luxembourg's experience in the mobility sector," Filat said. Vlad Filat invited Xavier Bettel to visit Moldova. The invitation was accepted.