Presidency of the Republic of Moldova
President Biden, fellow heads of states and governments,
Distinguished guests,
I am honored to address today’s Summit and to join our allies in promoting democracy as a vehicle for peace and prosperity, security and stability.
A stable democracy is a beacon – a bright light that Moldova currently sees through a clouded lens. With a full-fledged war at our border and Kremlin-funded hybrid operations aimed at destabilizing our country, Moldova’s democracy is fragile. Yet we refuse to allow these perils to upend our stability, our security, our way of life.
Moldova’s authorities are working diligently to build a resilient nation and to consolidate people's support for democracy, but we cannot do it alone. We are seeking partners among other democracies, to help us remain part of the free world, and to support our quest for EU membership. This is the only way to safeguard Moldova’s democracy.
We face significant challenges, but we are resolute in our commitment to overcoming them.
Our administration emerged from what felt like a failure of democracy – a time of corrupt politics. We saw a better way and worked hard to win people's trust. We fought for free and fair elections and for campaigns funded by transparent and legal donations.
We introduced reforms aimed at uprooting corruption in customs, banking, education and public administration. We are now fighting a significant battle against corruption in the justice sector. We know that institutional corruption and judicial dishonesty sabotages the belief that democracy can deliver security, economic opportunities, and justice.
We are calling for democratic allies to join us in a global sanctions regime to identify and deter cases of grand corruption. We are proud to lead the Summit’s Cohort on International Cooperation and Anti-Corruption in this Year of Action together with Transparency International and Basel Institute on Governance, learning from each other how to more effectively investigate high-level cases of corruption and recover illicitly acquired assets.
Equally important, we need to work together more effectively to counter disinformation and propaganda. They threaten our democracies. Today, in a joint regional effort of eight governments, our Prime Minister sent an open letter to big tech companies demanding better ways to counter the spread of false narratives that could destabilize our countries.
Ladies and gentlemen,
At a time of war, Moldova is a litmus test for the US, the EU member states, and other democratic nations. Our security, and our faith that democracy can and will deliver, must also be yours. In other words, our stability is in your ‘interest’.
Thank you.
