Voronin comments Russian loan

“A friend in need is a friend indeed,” said president Vladimir Voronin, when asked by journalists to say what Moldova was going to offer for the loan of half a billion dollars promised by Russia. On June 24, the president told a news conference that disbursing the loan was a political decision, “the details will be later discussed by experts and it must be ratified by the State Duma,” Info-Prim Neo reports. Vladimir Voronin says Russia also gives Moldova a grant of $20 million to repair the parliament's building. The money from the loan of $500 million will be used to repair roads, gas grids, irrigation networks and to finish houses. The acting president paid a visit to Moscow on June 22, where he met the Russian president and prime-minister. “Important is the availability of the Russian authorities to urgently adopt a set of laws to defend the rights of our citizens working in the Russian Federation. All the barriers on the exports of Moldovan goods have been lifted,” Voronin said.