Moldova intends to attract more Romanian investments, expand trade with Romania and introduce new joint infrastructure and energy projects.
This was stated by Moldovan President Maia Sandu at a joint briefing in Bucharest with her Romanian counterpart Klaus Iohannis. She noted that in the economic sphere, Romania remains the main market for Moldovan products, and Romania accounts for almost 30% of Moldovan exports. “I know that we still have room for growth and we will be even more present in the Romanian market. Who tries our apples, grapes, plums, always misses them. More than 250 potential investors from Romania attended yesterday's Economic Forum in Chisinau. We will continue to implement joint infrastructure and energy projects. We will strengthen our energy security, and no one will be able to blackmail our citizens by cutting off gas,” Maia Sandu said. She stressed that Moldova and Romania are actively working on the reconstruction of existing bridges and the construction of new road and rail bridges. “Thus, we will strengthen our economic integration with Romania and with the entire European space,” the head of the Moldovan state emphasized. According to her, in the field of education, the parties will promote partnership between schools and universities in our countries, and an important project in which Moldova counts on Romania's support is the study of the Romanian language in the ethnic communities of the Republic of Moldova and in the diaspora. “We have wonderful joint projects in the cultural sphere: book fairs, the reunion of national theaters, actions to promote reading. We will continue cooperation in the field of local development, afforestation and environmental protection,” said Maia Sandu. The President of the Republic of Moldova stressed that the countries are implementing many joint projects that help Moldova survive this difficult period and move firmly along the European path. “The new government of Moldova will continue an active dialogue with the Cabinet of Ministers of Romania. Prime Minister Dorin Recean announced that his first official visit will take place next week, of course, to Bucharest. The ever closer connection between Bucharest and Chisinau has a direct impact on our citizens - we are getting closer to Romania, to the European Union, to our European family,” the head of the Moldovan state said. She stressed that at the beginning of the war, Moldova was the most vulnerable neighbor of Ukraine, and now, thanks to the help of Romania, the entire EU, and other development partners, our country is more prepared, strengthens its defense capability, it has new energy sources that can be relied upon. “We have increased exports to the European Union, we have become more resilient and stronger. During this difficult period, Romania is sincerely and disinterestedly with us. While some are blackmailing us, others are helping us,” the head of the Moldovan state said. “With the support of our friends and partners, including receiving budgetary assistance from Romania, we were able to offer compensation to people with modest incomes so that they can pay their gas, heat and electricity bills this winter. Romania came to our aid and supplied us with electricity when Moldova found itself without a source of electricity. This winter, we used the Iasi-Chisinau gas pipeline, commissioned in 2021, to purchase natural gas from the European market. These measures helped us stop depending only on Gazprom. We have achieved this for the first time in the history of the country, and we will continue to invest in diversification and our energy independence. Last year, Romania, together with Germany and France, launched the Moldova Support Platform to help us overcome the overlapping crises we are facing. The three platform meetings held so far have brought together dozens of countries and international organizations that have pledged development support and offered us immediate assistance in dealing with the current crises. The commitment of partners gives us courage. We will organize the next meeting of the platform in Chisinau this autumn,” Maia Sandu said. The President of the Republic of Moldova said that she discussed with her Romanian colleague the priorities of cooperation in 2023, which should be the year of reconstruction. “Our priority this year is to restore the economy, continue reforms and strengthen the security of the state. We work with Romania in all these areas,” Maia Sandu said. She recalled that in 2022 our country received the status of a candidate country for EU accession, noting that when preparing this decision, Romania was a tireless supporter of the European path of Moldova, and this strengthens the belief that our country is not alone, and confidence that it will be successful. //23.02.2023 — InfoMarket.
