US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will pay a visit to Moldova on May 29.
This is the second visit of this high-ranking American official in the last 2 years, following his visit in March 2022. According to the government spokesman Daniel Voda, the main goal of Antony Blinken's visit to Moldova is to support the European integration aspirations and efforts to increase the energy sustainability of Moldova's energy sector. The visit includes two main elements: meetings with President Maia Sandu and Prime Minister Dorin Recean. “The American officials have always backed Moldova's democratic processes and reform agenda, and this visit once again confirms the strategic nature of the Moldovan-American dialogue,” Daniel Voda said. The press service of the head of state said that Maia Sandu will discuss with the US secretary of state the US support for Moldova's modernization: economic development, consolidation of energy security, implementation of democratic reforms and progress on the European path. The Moldovan President and the US secretary of state will hold a joint press conference at 17:30. According to the press service of the Moldovan President, the US is one of the most important partners and supporters of Moldova. Since 1992, the US government has supported Moldova by providing over $2.5 billion in financing. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the US has provided Moldova with $774 million in financial assistance, of which $300 million is intended to overcome the energy crisis and strengthen energy security. Of these funds, $80 million was used to compensate natural gas and electricity bills for low-income citizens, while $135 million was allocated to increase domestic electricity production and to build a 400-kV high-voltage transmission line between Straseni (Moldova) and Gutinas (Romania), which will connect Moldova to Romania's energy system, thus facilitating integration into the European energy network. // 29.05.2024 - InfoMarket.
