Moldova is facing unprecedented challenges in the field of energy, security and economy, gas prices have increased 6 times in a year - Maia Sandu.
The President of Moldova stated this, speaking in Athens at the 26th round table of The Economist "Antitheses, transformations, achievements in a changing world." “We do not know how long our citizens will be able to bear the burden of rising prices for food, utilities and fuel. Probably no country has been hit harder than Moldova by rising costs and growing uncertainty related to energy supply. Today, our citizens already pay 6 times more for gas than last year,” the head of the Moldovan state stressed. “I'm sorry to say this, but democracy may be one of the things that people would be willing to sacrifice in order to be fed and safe. This is not Moldova's problem, but the vulnerability of many fragile democracies that depend on energy imports and are now forced to pay outrageous prices. We are grateful to our European partners and other Western partners who are trying to help us,” Maia Sandu said. She noted that it is necessary to develop more cross-border ties, improve energy efficiency, collectively acquire energy resources and create their reserves. “We need to put in place assistance mechanisms to compensate groups vulnerable to energy price volatility. We need to introduce new, modern and sustainable technologies for energy production. The European Union and partner countries need to strengthen policies to reduce dependence on energy supplies from Russia. This policy should be based on European solidarity, on assistance to the most vulnerable countries, and should also be consistent with the goals of the European Green Pact. The food security crisis is one of the direct consequences of this war that requires immediate attention. The international community must not allow the deliberate destruction of Ukraine's economic opportunities, including those related to food security. We need shorter supply chains to bring food production closer to the European market and make new investments in production capacity. We need to promote efficient transport throughout Europe,” the head of the Moldovan state said. She recalled that Moldova mobilized to provide assistance to refugees from Ukraine from the first day of the war in the neighboring country. Nearly half a million Ukrainian refugees have found refuge or transited safely through Moldova, which has a population of 2.6 million. About 70 thousand refugees, most of them women and children, are still in Moldova, and this figure is 3% of the country's population. About 90% of them are hosted by families who were the first to open their homes for everyone in need of help. “We will continue to do this until every Ukrainian can safely return home. We have provided humanitarian assistance and are ready to closely cooperate and support international efforts to ensure the export of Ukrainian grains and alleviate the global food crisis,” the President of Moldova stressed.// 05.07.2022 — InfoMarket
