President Igor Dodon claims that Chisinau Arena, "a project necessary for the Republic of Moldova", is intended to be ready by the end of October. Currently the construction is 80-85% complete. The statements were made at the press conference held after the meeting of the Supreme Security Council, IPN reports.
According to the President, for the continuation of construction works there is a need for financial sources that the Ministry of Economy is trying to find. The help of external partners is also taken into consideration. "In order not to make payments from the state budget we have to find sources other than the state budget and there are some ideas in this regard," Igor Dodon said.
The head of state mentions that for the construction of the Arena 200 million lei were invested from the state budget, money granted by the previous government. The private investor invested about 20 million euros. Further, according to the contract, the state has to pay from the state budget three million euros for 11 years.
Igor Dodon also stated that the land pledged to the investor (59 hectares of public land) was undervalued. "The cost of the land pledged is several times higher than the total volume of the investment and here we must sort it out with those who have signed," said Igor Dodon. According to the president, the conditions for signing the public-private partnership agreement, "which is in fact an infringement of the law and a misappropriation of funds from the state budget", are currently under investigation.
"Chisinau Arena" project was launched by the Democratic Party in March last year. The arena is a multifunctional venue with a capacity of 5000 seats.