The candidate for premiership Ion Sturza considers a part of the administrative functions of the state should be transferred to Balti municipality. The candidate made such a statement in a meeting with mayor of Balti Renato Usatyi on December 26, IPN reports.

“A part of the festivals should be staged in Balti. The road to the municipality is good already. Balti should become a cultural center. A part of the functions of the state could be transferred to Balti,” stated Ion Sturza.

Renato Usatyi replied that the Ministry of Labor, Social Protection and Family, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Health should be left in Chisinau ‘for decency’.

The two addressed a number of economic and social problems of the municipality and discussed development projects. Ion Sturza offered Renato Usatyi to invest money in a technological park in Balti, similar to that of Cluj. “I saw that the town development strategy lacks the IT component. Let’s develop it,” said Ion Sturza.

The non-gasification of 30% of domestic households was one of the social problems raised. Renato Usatyi said that when he intends to do something, he often meets with resistance on the part of the central authorities. He noted that the payment of salaries ‘in envelopes’ and the fact that the public servants with small salaries are lured into the private sector are serious problems for the town.

While in Balti, the candidate for Prime Minister also had a meeting with the administration of the Balti Free Economic Zone.