Chișinău thanks Bucharest

The president of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, has again thanked Romania for its constant assistance to Chișinău. The statement was made in a meeting the Moldovan president had with Romania's ambassador in Chișinău, Cristian-Leon Țurcanu. Romania is loved in the Republic of Moldova for the assistance provided in difficult moments and for its support for Moldova's EU accession efforts, Maia Sandu said last year around December 1, the National Day of Romania. The Moldovan president described Romania as "the shoulder we can rely on when things get tough: kindergartens, school buses, student scholarships, Diesel fuel, vaccines, humanitarian aid, funds to modernize villages, making communication with our loved ones easier due to lifting roaming fees, supporting the culture of the Republic of Moldova and building bridges to connect us. Romania is also loved for the light it brings to Moldova when Russian missiles leave our region in the dark, but also for the Romanian language, which served as our home", said Maia Sandu, herself a citizen of Romania as well. 

Romania will continue to support the Republic of Moldova, helping this country overcome the present crises, Romania's Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu, recently said in Chișinău. The Romanian official visited the Moldovan capital-city, invited by his Moldovan counterpart, Nicu Popescu. The two officials highlighted the importance of further developing electricity interconnections between the two states, boost cross-border traffic, including by constructing bridges over Prut River. Talks also tackled the implementation of the non-refundable assistance agreement worth €100 million provided by Romania. Projects worth €25 million have already been approved. Another topic on the agenda is the operationalization of the assistance platform for the Republic of Moldova, launched by Minister Aurescu and his counterparts from Germany and France. Moldova's European track and Romania's support in this respect were also discussed. On the other hand, Minister Aurescu said he has no information pointing to the risk of a Russian invasion of the Republic of Moldova via northern Ukraine in the coming months, as Chișinău speculates. 

Created on part of the eastern Romanian territories annexed by Stalin's USSR in 1940 following an ultimatum, the Republic of Moldova declared its independence on August 27, 1991, after the failure of the neo-Bolshevik coup in Moscow, targeting the last Soviet leader, the reformist Mikhail Gorbachev. On the same day, Romania became the first country in the world to recognize the statehood of its new neighbor. (VP)