The joint meeting of the Governments of the Republic of Moldova and Romania of February 11 is an event that the Moldovan authorities have awaited since the new administration took over in Chisinau, but this is organized only now because it was put off for pandemic and political reasons. “It is a meeting on which both of the sides worked a lot so as to solve the real problems of the citizens and to make a major impact on the development of the relations between our countries,” Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilița told a news conference, being quoted by IPN.
An agreement to cut international calling and roaming charges charges between the two states and agreements on the construction and repair of bridges, including the bridge in Ungheni, are to be signed at the meeting.
Premier Gavrilița said that Romania will offer a grant of €100 million to Moldova in installments during the next few years. “The history of this decision is a long one. Back in 2014, the Government of Romania assumed a similar decision. In time, the Governments of the Republic of Moldova could absorb only €35 million of this sum. The rest of the sum, owing to the previous government’s attitude, was suspended. One of the first actions of the new government was to persuade the Romanian side to review the decision and to resume that project so that we could use the money for the benefit of our citizens. We managed to persuade the friends in Romania not only to resume the program, but also to restart it with the sum of €100 million. This is an important contribution that we undertake to use with maximum efficiency,” stated the official.
The projects to which the money will be channeled will be agreed by the sides in subsequent discussions. The Government of Moldova will propose that the largest part of the grant should supplement the sums allocated to the Regional and Local Development Fund that was established several months ago to foster the development of localities and to improve the living conditions. Another part of the grant will be used to invest in cultural facilities, mass media projects, etc.
