RO President: Romania will continue to help Moldova

Romania will continue to help Moldova in the future, President Klaus Iohannis said on Tuesday, November 15. “Romania still wants to remain a strategic partner, a serious and credible partner for Moldova,” he added, according to Agerpres. Iohannis also said that Romania would continue all the efforts to support the Moldovan institutions and local authorities. Romania has an ongoing partnership with Moldova. In 2010, the two countries signed an assistance program through which Romania agreed to grant a non-reimbursable financial help of EUR 100 million for the Republic of Moldova. Romania’s Government recently paid EUR 3 million to Moldova for the financing of 83 kindergartens, as part of this program. In October 2015, Romania also signed agreement with Moldova for a EUR 150 million loan. Romania paid the first tranche, worth EUR 60 million, in August this year. The loans agreement also includes several conditions that must be met by the Chisinau authorities. “We don’t have any reason to believe that things will fundamentally change there. On the other side (...) we believe that the best way forward for the Republic of Moldova is the European path.” Russian-backed socialist leader Igor Dodon is the President elect of the Republic of Moldova, after winning the presidential elections on Sunday, November 13. His opponent, pro-European candidate Maia Sandu has challenged the results and has asked the Moldovans to sign a petition to declare the elections invalid. Hundreds of people went to the streets in Chisinau to protest against how the elections were organized. Many Moldovans who wanted to vote abroad couldn’t do it because there weren’t enough ballots. Igor Dodon warned Sandu’s supporters that they were “playing with fire”. Dodon said that Moldova’s association agreement with the European Union was a mistake and that he would organize a referendum to end it. He also said that he wanted Moldova to join the Eurasian Economic Union, according to an interview he gave to the Russian media, quoted by Digi24.ro. editor@romania-insider.com