Romania-Moldova economic cooperation
Romania to provide concrete support to Moldovas efforts to develop essential sectors and continue reforms.
Corina Cristea, 14.02.2022, 13:50
The fifth joint meeting of the governments of Romania and the Republic of Moldova taking place last Friday was held for the first time in Chișinău. It was accompanied by many bilateral talks, initialling of projects and signing of accords, protocols and memoranda.
The European path is the only path able to ensure the stability, prosperity and economic and social development of the Republic of Moldova, Romanian prime minister Nicolae Ciucă emphasised. He said Romania would contribute to the development of the neighbouring, majority-Romanian speaking country for the latter to reach European development standards. To this end, Romania will grant Moldova financial aid in the form of donation worth 100 million euros. The funds will be used to build water and sewerage networks and rehabilitate education and cultural buildings, especially in the countryside.
The projects benefiting from such funding will help create new jobs and restore peoples confidence in the possibility of building a future in their own country, said the Moldovan prime minister Natalia Gavriliţă. Romania is Moldovas biggest trading partner and one of its biggest investors. Bilateral trade last year amounted to 2.4 billion US dollars, a record high, and Romania would like to consolidate this positive trend in order to take advantage of the enormous existing potential for cooperation, said the Romanian prime minister.
The representatives of the two governments also signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the field of energy security and in the next six months, Romania and the Republic of Moldova will be drafting a joint action plan in the event of an energy crisis. Two very important accords were signed during the meeting in Chișinău. One is about the building of a new bridge over Prut river, in Ungheni, which will be connected to the Târgu Neamţ-Iaşi-Ungheni motorway, and another provides for the reduction in roaming tariffs and the cost of international phone calls between the two countries.
Romanias education ministry will also grant 2,550 pre-university and university scholarships for young Moldovans until 2026. Scholarships are also provided for the training of teachers and the management staff in education and the framework was established for the participation of Moldovan pupils in Romanian Olympiads and competitions. Last but not least, the defence ministries of the two countries signed a protocol on collaboration in the field of military education. (CM)
