In Chişinău, on the Romanian Language Day
The president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, made an official visit to Chişinău, in the Republic of Moldova, on the day when the two countries celebrated the Romanian Language Day.
Sorin Iordan, 02.09.2024, 14:00
The president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, travelled this weekend to Chişinău, in the Republic of Moldova, to meet with his Moldovan counterpart Maia Sandu, on the day when the Romanian language was celebrated on both sides of the river Prut.
The two officials laid flowers at poet Mihai Eminescu’s bust in the Stephen the Great Public Garden, and greeted the public.
Maia Sandu said the Romanian president’s visit to Chişinău on the Day of the Romanian Language, the language that connects the two countries, is a symbolic one. She also highlighted the constant support received from Romania in the fields of energy, economy, culture and education.
Maia Sandu: “The ties between the Republic of Moldova and Romania have always been robust, but today Chişinău and Bucharest have the strongest and most profound relationship in our history. We are grateful to Romania for its support in consolidating the resilience of the Republic of Moldova. The start of our EU accession negotiations this June would not have been possible without Romania’s comprehensive and consistent support.”
In turn, president Iohannis emphasised the importance of the Romanian language and Latin alphabet, as essential elements of identity and culture, and mentioned that Romanian is one of the official languages of the European Union. He reiterated Romania’s support for the security of Moldova and for its EU accession efforts.
Klaus Iohannis: “The Iaşi-Ungheni-Chişinău natural gas pipeline became fully operational in October 2021 and consolidated the energy security of the Republic of Moldova. We also have solid cooperation for the development of the energy transport infrastructure, with the Suceava-Bălţi interconnection as a concrete example in this respect. For many years now, Romania has been Moldova’s foremost trade partner. Romania’s strategic commitment to Moldova’s democratic development will remain unwavering in the long run.”
The Romanian official urged Moldovan citizens to choose to stay on the EU integration path at this autumn’s referendum, and called on all international partners to provide consistent support to Chişinău in this respect.
Iohannis and Sandu also signed a Joint Declaration on bilateral cooperation to consolidate the resilience of the Republic of Moldova. The document was signed “starting from the special nature of bilateral relations, based on the shared language, culture and history,” and it stipulates, among other things, that Romania pursues the goal of preparing Moldova for its EU accession in 2030 and of strengthening its defence potential against hybrid threats, disinformation and the undermining of democratic processes and the rule of law. (AMP)
