Romanian Foreign Minister: Moldova Needs Grants, Not Loans Now

Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu has said at the Platform for Moldovan Support, held in Paris, that our state needs grants to purchase energy on the market. He recalled that during the Moldovan Support Platform held on July 15 in Bucharest, a total of 615 million euros was received, of which 432.3 million euros was aid in the form of grants, euractv.ro reported. “I think it’s very important that this conference should continue to provide financial assistance. In Bucharest, we collected 615 million euros, of which 432 million euros are in grants. Moldova now needs grants, not loans, to buy energy on the market. This is probably the most important goal at the moment. The second, no less important, is to provide support for the necessary reforms in the European integration process,” the Romanian Minister said. Aurescu specified that because of explosions at energy infrastructure facilities in Ukraine, Moldova can no longer import electricity from that country. Since October 14, Romania began supplying electricity to Moldova, and currently provides 80-90% of the country’s needs. The Romanian Minister stressed that another important goal of the conference is to support the reform process, since Chisinau’s government is committed to implementing an “ambitious reform plan”. According to the Romanian diplomatic chief, Monday’s event is “a strong political sign of support”, given “the magnitude of the problems faced by Moldova”. “This country has suffered most after Ukraine from the war waged by Russia. Moldova has shown solidarity with and helped Ukraine. The reform process continues, which is important for the integration process. For this reason, we should support Moldova in the short, medium and long term as much as necessary,” Bogdan Aurescu said.