The Prime Minister of Romania said the official Bucharest offers the €100 million to the Republic of Moldova in a move to contribute to the improvement of citizens’ life. Nicolae Ciucă noted the money will go to implement concrete infrastructure projects that will modernize the Republic of Moldova. Discussions have been also held on the storage of natural gas purchased by the Republic of Moldova in Romania’s reservoirs so that the current energy crisis no longer repeats, IPN reports.
Premier Ciucă said that besides the projects to rehabilitate and build bridges over the Prut, a long-term project envisions the extension of Moldova’s Highway so that there is modern road connection between the Republic of Moldova and the European Union. The Premier said the problem of energy security remains up on the agenda of the two Governments.
“We have Moldova’s Highway and we hope that it will be built swiftly and will reach Chisinau, which would be beneficial to the citizens of the two countries. Beyond road infrastructure, it is also very important to discuss the ensuring of alternatives for supplying natural gas and electrical energy. It goes to the interconnection that was already completed on the gas network. Last October, we managed to offer 5 million m3 of gas with which pressure in the network was stabilized. In the discussions we had with Prime Minister Gavrilița we agreed to identify a solution to create a natural gas store for the Republic of Moldova in Romania,” Nicolae Ciucă stated in an interview for TVR1 channel.
The non-reimbursable financial assistance to the value of €100 million is provided to the Republic of Moldova for a seven-year period, with the possibility of extending the period for three years. Premier Ciucă is confident that these funds will be absorbed and the citizens of the Republic of Moldova will feel the benefits of the friendship between the two states.
“It is €100 million that will be offered from Romania’s state budget. The money will be used for all the Moldovan Government’s projects that are aimed at improving citizens’ life. It goes to the energy sector, transport sector, digitization, education. We also have discussions between the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Moldova and that of Romania so as to solve transfrontier security aspects. The goal is to ensure this money is spent wisely and efficiently so that we also contribute to the improvement of the quality of life of the citizens in the Republic of Moldova,” stated Nicolae Ciucă.
A €100 million non-reimbursable financial assistance agreement was signed by the Republic of Moldova and Romania also in 2010. The document expired at the end of last March and the official Chisinau managed to use only €32 million of the €100 million.