Presidency of the Republic of Moldova
Dear President Klaus Iohannis,
Thank you for your openness in hosting me again in Bucharest.
I am happy to be back in Bucharest to personally express my gratitude for Romania’s tireless, consistent and generous support during the past years. Thank you for this help.
In this context, I welcome the strengthening of relations between our institutions. In February, the governments of our countries held a joint meeting, which laid the foundations for several important bilateral projects. In June, our parliaments convened in a joint meeting. The cooperation between parliamentary committees is also very good.
I am convinced that the dialogue between our institutions will intensify even more as the Republic of Moldova moves forward on the path towards EU membership. Romania's experience will be very useful in this regard.
Also, thank you for supporting us in our European endeavors. We are very grateful for Romania's role at all stages preceding the 23 June decision and for Romania’s strong voice in Brussels in support of granting Moldova the status of candidate country for EU membership.
European integration will mean for Moldova - the consolidation of a society guided by the rule of law and respect for everyone’s rights, joining the richest and most prosperous market, but also investments and new opportunities for our citizens.
Romania's support is all the more precious when it comes when we expect it most. For more than 5 months, we have been living close to the horrors of war. Russia's war against Ukraine has thrown our region into uncertainty.
Moldova is, after Ukraine, the most affected country by the war.
The war destabilized the energy market and with it Moldova's energy security. The huge inflation, caused in particular by soaring energy and fuel prices, is affecting the purchasing power of citizens and putting great pressure on our producers, many of whom have also lost their markets in the east. This year we are also hit by drought, which is putting at risk what farmers have achieved through hard work.
The combination of crises the Republic of Moldova is facing is a heavy burden for my country, a burden we cannot bear alone.
We appreciate the role of Romania, which, together with Germany and France, co-founded the Moldova Support Platform, through which our development partners around the world provide targeted support for the problems we face.
But the situation requires us to act with the utmost urgency and look for alternative solutions to preserve the stability of the country and get through the winter. Moldova needs energy security solutions now! We want to buy gas from Romania and it’s important to make this possible soon enough.
This is critical to ensure that our people do not freeze in winter and to maintain social stability in the country.
We are a small country, made vulnerable by war and our citizens pay the highest price per income for energy in Europe. We already pay a double price for gas compared to consumers in Romania.
The Republic of Moldova, like the European Union as a whole, is working to reduce energy consumption, including natural gas, and is looking for ways to replace gas with fuel oil, wood or coal this winter.
We are concerned about the security of our country. The proximity of war puts pressure on state institutions that ensure the security of the Republic of Moldova. Our institutions are closely monitoring the developments in the Transnistrian region, we are analyzing the risks we are exposed to from within the country.
But most importantly, these security tensions make our society even more vulnerable as prices rise, especially for energy resources.
We appreciate the fact that earlier this month a European hub for security and border management was created in the Republic of Moldova, connecting us to the European Union's security system.
And yet the volatile situation on the battlefield, the proximity of the Russian-Ukrainian front increases the degree of uncertainty. The number of provocations launched by internal forces aiming to destabilize the situation in the Republic of Moldova is increasing.
Mr President,
Despite the difficult situation in which we find ourselves, in an unstable and crisis-ridden climate, Moldova wants to develop and wants to advance on its European path, to change the lives of its citizens for the better.
We will continue our efforts to reform Moldova's institutions, the judiciary and the control bodies, as well as the public services sector.
We will continue to fund infrastructure development projects, business incentive programmes that create jobs and breathe new life into communities. We will invest in education and health sector, in better services for people.
Only by giving people a better, safer life can we make Moldova a pole of development and stability in the region.
The war and its aftermath have reduced the resources we planned to use for these projects. This means we will have to work harder, optimize budget resources, seek support from partners - and move forward.
Citizens have spoken: democratic development, based on the European model, is the only chance for a better life in their own country. It is a chance we cannot miss. Help us stay on this path. For the European Union, supporting Moldova during this difficult time would be an investment in preserving democracy and an investment in a peaceful and prosperous future of Eastern Europe.
Romania has stood by Moldova over the years, through thick and thin. I am confident that the Moldovan-Romanian partnership will help us overcome the difficulties caused by the war in Ukraine. This unjust and bloody war must be stopped. Ukraine needs help to protect its people and its future. We stand by the Ukrainians, we wish them success and peace.
In troubled times, humanity, caring, solidarity, mutual aid prevail. We thank the authorities and the citizens of Romania for standing by us.
