President Klaus Iohannis congratulated the President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, on Saturday "for the historic steps taken in the process of anchoring the neighbouring country in the great European family".
At a press conference held at the end of the meeting with his Moldovan counterpart, the head of state said that the benefits of belonging to the European Union are commensurate with the efforts, while emphasising Romania's "strategic contribution to the Republic of Moldova's continued progress on the path of reforms and European integration".
"Over the years, I have made numerous visits to Chisinau and I had the honour of being Romania's President during what we can call the best and most prolific period of cooperation between Romania and the Republic of Moldova. Romania's strategic contribution to the Republic of Moldova's continuous progress on the path of reforms and European integration is undeniable, and is one of the most important foreign policy successes of the last ten years. I also congratulate you on this occasion for the historic steps you have taken in the process of anchoring yourself in the great European family, of which you are a natural part, and for the official opening of accession negotiations to the European Union. I know that the efforts that you are making are very great, but the benefits of belonging to the Union are on a par, and citizens will feel these benefits in the education system, in the health system, in infrastructure, connectivity and, of course, economically. Moreover, the European Union is a community in which identity, history and independence are respected, not rewritten or brutally violated," said President Iohannis.
The head of state also mentioned some of the "achievements" of the sectoral cooperation between Romania and the Republic of Moldova, referring in particular to strategic infrastructure projects.
"As far as the achievements of bilateral sectoral cooperation are concerned, I would like to mention, out of their multitude, a number of extremely important projects: the Iasi-Ungheni-Chisinau gas pipeline became fully operational in October 2021 and has strengthened the energy security of the Republic of Moldova, being the focal point of an irreversible interconnection with the European Union, through Romania. At the same time, we have a solid cooperation for the development of the electricity transportation infrastructure, a concrete example of this being the construction of the Suceava-Balti interconnection. This will enable Romania to help the Republic of Moldova more effectively in the event of an electricity supply crisis. In fact, Romania intervened decisively to support Chisinau when Russia started to use energy as a geopolitical weapon. I wish to assure you that our commitment to support you in any crisis situation, including in the field of energy, is firmer than ever," emphasised the Romanian President.
Klaus Iohannis also said that "Romania has for many years been the first trade partner of the Republic of Moldova", pointing out that "over 1,600 companies with Romanian capital contribute to the increased level of investments in various fields and create many jobs".
President Iohannis is paying an official visit to Chisinau On Saturday at the invitation of President Maia Sandu, which is taking place in the context of Romania and the Republic of Moldova celebrating the Romanian Language Day.
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