“Romania stands by the Republic of Moldova and all its citizens, as always. You can bank on us,” said the President of Romania Klaus Iohannis who was in Chisinau on a visit. The official noted that besides Romania, all the states of the European and Euro-Atlantic community support the Republic of Moldova. He expressed his confidence that the decision to submit Moldova’s application for EU membership will accelerate the reforms undertaken in Chisinau. According to him, the European integration is the only path that can ensure democracy, stability, prosperity and the economic and social development of the Republic of Moldova, IPN reports.
Klaus Iohannis said that as it was expected, the discussions focused on the consequences of Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine. Romania and the Republic of Moldova, as the neighbors of Ukraine, must take all the necessary measures to cope with these effects as efficiently as possible. “In these difficult moments, first of all I want to express my appreciation for the impressive effort made by Missis President Maia Sandu, the Government, all the authorities of the Republic of Moldova and for the exemplary mobilization of civil society and the citizens to welcome and help persons who seek refuge from the horrors of the war in Ukraine. I’m convinced that this effort of the Republic of Moldova for a long time will remain imprinted on the collective memory as a gesture of profound generosity and humanity, which are representative features for the citizens of the Republic of Moldova,” stated the official.
He said that since the war started in Ukraine, Romania has offered Moldova consistent humanitarian assistance in different forms, such as fuel, energy resources, essential products for supporting the refugees. Measures were taken to organize green corridors to transport refugees from Moldova to Romania by road and rail. The goal was to reduce the pressure on the Republic of Moldova. In the meeting, they considered additional possibilities for extending cooperation between the Romanian and Moldovan authorities.
Klaus Iohannis also said that Romania knows from the own experience that the road to the European integration is not at all easy, but each road, no matter how long and hard it is, starts with a step. And this step was taken by the Republic of Moldova by signing and submitting the application to join the EU. “I’m sure that the decision to sign the accession application will lead to the accelerated continuation of the reforms undertaken by Chisinau. The European integration is the only path that can ensure democracy, stability, prosperity and the economic and social development of the Republic of Moldova and I think this is clear to everyone,” he noted.
President Maia Sandu said the Republic of Moldova strongly condemns the military aggression against Ukraine and has called for peace since the very first start of the war. The country from those first hours of war has offered assistance to the neighboring and friend country and accepted its people who have been fleeing from the war. “As the flow of refugees does not stop, we asked the member states of the European Union to examine the possibility of accepting Ukrainian refugees on their territory. I appreciate the Romanian authorities’ prompt decision to open a green corridor for transferring refugees who head for the EU directly from the Moldovan-Ukrainian border. I also thank the authorities in Bucharest for the humanitarian assistance offered to manage the flow of refugees. The first lot of assistance - 17 tonnes of foods, hygiene products, beds, toys – was delivered on March 4 and was distribute to mayor’s offices and placement centers that house refugees from Ukraine. The second lot, of 55 tonnes, arrived in Chisinau today,” said President Sandu.
She noted the new reality in the region made Moldova act swifter and an application to join the EU was filed on March 4. Moldova banks on Romania’s assistance in having this application accepted as Moldova’s future is definitely in Europe and the strategic partnership for European integration between the Republic of Moldova and Romania will help to faster achieve this objective.
“We also need Romania’s support to have the European markets opened for all the categories of Moldovan products that can no longer enter the Ukrainian, Russian and Belarusian markets owing to the war in Ukraine. The acceptance of our products into the EU market will be direct and significant support for the Moldovan farmers,” said Maia Sandu.
She expressed her conviction that the strong partnership between the Republic of Moldova and Romania will help overcome the difficulties and uncertainty caused by the war in Ukraine.
