Moldovan president Maia Sandu receives European Order of Merit
The president of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, received the European Order of Merit on Tuesday, May 19, during a ceremony held at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
The award was established last year by the European Parliament, on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration, to reward personalities who have significantly contributed to European integration and the promotion of European values. Among those who received this award were former German chancellor Angela Merkel, former Polish president Lech Wałęsa, former president of the European Central Bank Jean-Claude Trichet, and president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
In the acceptance speech, Sandu said that the merit of this distinction belongs to the citizens of the Republic of Moldova, who have consistently supported the country’s European path “despite Russian threats and blackmail.”
“For three decades, Moldovans have built their European future, overcoming a difficult economic transition, taking to the streets when democracy was in danger, and resisting when oligarchs tried to capture the state. This is the merit,” Sandu said, according to ziua.md.
She also spoke about the efforts of Moldovan institutions to implement European standards, press independence, reducing energy dependence on Russia, and economic rapprochement with the European Union. “We are doing all this while living alongside Russia’s brutal war, while the Kremlin’s missiles and drones violate our airspace, pollute our waters, and affect our energy infrastructure. Moldovans do not give in,” Maia Sandu said.
At the end of her speech, Maia Sandu appealed to European institutions and EU member states to support the continuation of the Republic of Moldova’s European integration.
The European Order of Merit award ceremony took place in the presence of Roberta Metsola, president of the European Parliament, and Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission. Sandu's speech was briefly interrupted by former Romanian deputy Cristian Rizea, who was later escorted out of the hall by security services after shouting accusations against the Moldovan president.
(Photo source: presedinte.md)
