ForMin Aurescu to co-chair third ministerial conference of the Moldova Support Platform in Paris

Minister of Foreign Affairs Bogdan Aurescu will co-chair on Monday, November 21, in Paris, the third ministerial conference of the Moldova Support Platform, a permanent support tool created at the initiative of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Romania, Germany and France in the spring of this year in order to mobilize the financial contributions of the international community and to support the reforms necessary for the accession to the EU.

According to the Ministry of Foreign affairs (MAE), Minister Aurescu will co-chair this event alongside the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Catherine Colonna, and the German Minister of Foreign Affairs, Annalena Baerbock.

The conference will benefit from the participation of the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, and the President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Nicu Popescu will also participate in the event, according to a MAE press release released on Sunday.

The meeting in Paris takes place in the context in which the Republic of Moldova faces major energy, economic, humanitarian challenges and also challenges its resilience, against the backdrop of the brutal war of aggression waged by the Russian Federation against Ukraine.

Considering the seriousness of the crisis in the energy sector, with strong destabilizing consequences on the state budget, the works of the Ministerial Conference in Paris will focus particularly on emergency assistance options in this field for the benefit of the Republic of Moldova, the cited source mentioned.

In this context, Minister Bogdan Aurescu will emphasize that the Republic of Moldova's main need, at this moment, is to obtain the necessary financial assistance for gas and electricity purchases from international partners.

The head of the Romanian diplomacy will also inform about the assistance measures undertaken by Romania, such as the direct budget support recently granted in the amount of 10 million euros, the prompt reaction of the Romanian Government to facilitate the substantial deliveries of electricity starting with October 14, 2022, as well as regarding the implementation of the Agreement on non-refundable financial assistance in the amount of 100 million euros granted to the Republic of Moldova by Romania.

Last but not least, Minister Aurescu will highlight that the Support Platform for the Republic of Moldova will remain at the center of international efforts aimed at providing assistance to Chisinau for building a stable, prosperous and resilient democracy.

The organization of the third Ministerial Conference in Paris within seven months of the creation and launch of the Support Platform for the Republic of Moldova, at the initiative of the Foreign Affairs Ministers of Romania, Germany and France, is a clear signal regarding the consolidation of this new format as an instrument for the mobilization of multidimensional international support and the confirmation of its role in a difficult period in which the Republic of Moldova needs the assistance of the international community more than ever.

The co-chairs of the six Working Groups of the Platform will present, in Paris, the conclusions of the activity carried out prior to the event in the following sectors: (1) the humanitarian situation of refugees from Ukraine (working group co-chaired by Germany and Canada); (2) combating corruption (co-chaired by Romania - through the Ministry of Justice - and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland); (3) energy security (co-chaired by France and Italy); (4) financial assistance (chaired by the European Commission); (5) border management (chaired by the USA) and (6) reform of public administration and public finance administration (co-chaired by the Netherlands and Sweden) - working group launched at the initiative of Minister Bogdan Aurescu at the Ministerial Conference in Bucharest.