The Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, Nicu Popescu, says that his ambition and hope is that in 10 to 15 years, the Republic of Moldova will be in a position to offer assistance. He says that statements claiming that Moldova yields its independence due to contacts with development partners and openness to the world are absurd. "On the contrary, through our openness to the world and to our development partners, by attracting investments to create jobs, by building roads and by improving infrastructure, we become more independent and stronger as a state", said the minister in an IPN video interview.

The head of the Moldovan diplomacy said that development partners are those countries and institutions that help the Republic of Moldova develop. The minister offered as an example the countries of Central Europe, states that were poor and were previously ruled by socialist politicians under authoritarian regimes - Poland, Hungary and Romania. For 20 years, the European Union and the United States have helped these countries develop. The Americans and Europeans invested in these countries, which led Romania and Poland to achieve a completely different level of development, while joining the EU and NATO. If they have been receiving assistance for 20 years, currently, countries such as Poland, Romania or the Baltic States are starting to provide assistance.

"There is this idea of development - you help some countries get on their feet and when they stand up, they help you. This is the logic behind the functioning of the US, the EU and other organizations such as the World Bank and the IMF. My ambition and hope is that the Republic of Moldova, in the course of 10 to 15 years, will be in a position to provide assistance”, said the minister.

According to him, today's world is interconnected and interdependent. In this regard, China and the US serve as an example. The two largest economies have a tense relationship, yet neither China nor the US can turn their backs on each other, because they are interdependent. "All states have certain constraints and for them it is convenient to have such relations which can generate prosperity and create jobs. In this sense, we cannot say that Moldova can exist in a state of autarky and isolation, while producing everything we need. No, we don't produce everything we need. We do not produce many things. That is why we need to focus on what we can produce, export and bring money in, then procure what we don’t produce”, explains the foreign minister.

Nicu Popescu says that no country and no international organization wants neighbors with issues. Everyone wants good neighbors, without wars, without emigration, without conflicts, without authoritarian and dictatorial regimes. The hope of the states that support Moldova is that it will become a more prosperous and stable state, that in turn, will help other democracies and other prosperous states to solve vicinity and world problems. "What was expected of Romania or Poland is expected of us - today we help you, when you get on your feet, you help us. This is an exchange of favors between Moldova and development partners. Under no circumstance do we have to yield our independence today. We will pay and contribute to solve Europe's common issues at a later date”, said Nicu Popescu.

According to him, the international peacekeeping missions in which Moldova participates fall under the framework of these relations. Moldova contributes to several peacekeeping and stabilization operations. If, for example, Ukraine or the Balkans get involved into a conflict, the whole region will be unstable. "We live in a region with complications and wars, thus it is in our interest to participate in stabilizing these situations, including through our modest contribution to several international missions", said the head of diplomacy.

The minister added that development partners are practically all the states that support and provide assistance to Moldova, as well as all the organizations that provide support in different forms, be it grants, equipment, etc. However, in his opinion, "first and foremost, the success of the Republic of Moldova, the success of the reforms, the success of improving the situation in the country depends on us and on how we manage the offered assistance."

The video interview offered to IPN Press Agency by the Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu is part of "Relations of the Republic of Moldova with development partners" cycle, supported by Hans Seiddel German Foundation.