Romania to co-organize, together with Germany, France, international conference in support of Republic of Moldova

Romania will co-organize, on April 5, in Berlin, together with Germany and France, an international conference meant to stimulate the international support for the Republic of Moldova, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu announced on Monday, in the context of his participation in the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) meeting.

According to a Foreign Ministry (MAE) release sent to AGERPRES, the conference, which will be co-chaired by the Romanian, German and French Foreign Ministers, will launch the Moldova Support Platform, as well as a call for donations from EU member states, the G7, international financial institutions and other states and organizations. The conference will create five working groups in areas where the Republic of Moldova needs support: refugees, energy, finance/economy, border management, anti-corruption.

In the field of energy connectivity, the head of Romanian diplomacy welcomed the synchronization of Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova to the European electricity grid on March 16 and said that steps are needed to consolidate and diversify Moldova's gas supply.

He recalled, in context, the recent completion of the Iasi-Chisinau gas pipeline and stressed the important role it can play in diversifying Moldova's gas supply sources, stressing that, at the same time, steps are needed to expand connectivity in inside the Republic of Moldova to allow the full use of this gas pipeline, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also states.

As to the border management of the Republic of Moldova, Minister Aurescu referred to the support provided through EUBAM and FRONTEX and pointed out the need to further strengthen the resilience of the Republic of Moldova, mentioning the support provided under the auspices of the European Peace Facility (EPF).

At the same time, he expressed Romania's strong support for the European perspective of the Republic of Moldova, the request of this state to join the EU being a first step in a laborious process, and expressed the belief that the initiative will be an additional incentive for the Republic of Moldova reforms.

Minister Bogdan Aurescu is participating on Monday, after the FAC meeting, in the joint meeting of the foreign affairs and defence ministers of the EU member states, in jumbo format, in which the founding document of the EU Strategic Compass will be discussed.