The Bureau for Migration and Asylum on Friday received two minibuses and 21 ID card readers to the value of €125,000 donated by the European Union and the International Organization for Migration, IPN reports.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the donation will improve the capacity to determine the authenticity of IDs of foreign citizens all over Moldova following the larger inflow of foreigners. The 21 ID card readers will enable to instantaneously and in real time analyze the quality of face image, fingerprints and signatures.

Minister of Internal Affairs Ana Revenco said the Republic of Moldova experiences a number of crises and the situation in the region continues to be volatile. The employees of the Ministry’s subdivisions are at the forefront and forces should be combined with the development partners so as to cope with the challenges. The donation received today will definitely help to optimize the services provided by the Bureau for Migration and Asylum.

The Head of the EU Delegation to the Republic of Moldova Janis Mazeiks noted that the equipment will help the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Bureau for Migration and Asylum to offer essential services to the refugees who enter the Republic of Moldova. “This donation forms part of a broader regional program financed by the European Union to support the management of the flow of refugees. The EU’s response to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine was opportune and swift. The EU allocated €15 million for this program so as to make the voluntary transfer of persons in a safe and decent manner possible,” stated the ambassador.

“By this material support, complemented with other activities to support policies that are being developed and to provide training, the International Organization for Migration in Moldova aims to significantly contribute to the national efforts to strengthen the architecture of migration governance in the country,” said IOM’s Chief of Mission to the Republic of Moldova Lars Johan Lonnback.

In July, the European Union increased the budget support provided to the Republic of Moldova for overcoming the challenges caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine. The €60 million in support offered last December to manage the energy crisis was supplemented with €75 million.