France will continue to help Moldova and the allocated 15 million euros to support the budget is only the first tranche - Emmanuel Macron.
The President of France stated this at a briefing in Chisinau, stressing that Moldova can count on long-term assistance and relations between the two countries will be even closer, and France will provide support to promote important reforms in Moldova. Emmanuel Macron expressed admiration for the solidarity and generosity of Moldova and its citizens who accepted Ukrainian refugees, noting that France, together with Romania and Germany, created a donor platform to mobilize assistance for our country. According to him, France will allocate a loan of 15 million euros for budgetary support, it has already allocated 1 million euros in the form of urgent assistance and will continue to support and assist Moldova in reducing the negative consequences of the crises and the war in Ukraine. The President of France also noted that the neutrality of Moldova does not mean its demilitarization, and our country will be able to get access to 40 million euros within the framework of the European Protection Fund, which will be an important contribution for it and will double the military budget. Emmanuel Macron also said that with his visit he would like to express support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Moldova, solidarity with our country, say that it is not alone in the face of difficulties and can count on the help of France and the EU, as well as show determination to strengthen relations between France and EU with Moldova. The French President recalled that Moldova applied for EU membership, noting that it has a legal right to join the EU, the issue of granting the status of a candidate for EU membership will be discussed on June 23-24 based on the official conclusion of the European Commission. Emmanuel Macron said that as the EU Council President, France will strive to reach a consensus so that the EU countries recognize Moldova's efforts to move closer to the EU, and it received a positive and clear signal. He also noted that Moldova has guarantees for accelerated cooperation within the European political community, which is not an alternative to joining the EU, but will open up opportunities for additional cooperation and partnership, will help show solidarity with concrete facts in all areas, including energy, transport and other areas between countries that share common values, and strengthen ties between them. // 15.06.2022 — InfoMarket
