ForMin Hurezeanu, in Chisinau: Energy crisis and influence of democratic elections are hostile actions by Russia

The energy crisis and the influence of democratic elections have a "common denominator" - the hostile actions of the Russian Federation, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emil Hurezeanu declared, on Friday, in the Republic of Moldova.The head of Romanian diplomacy was on a working visit to Chisinau, in the context of the energy crisis that the neighboring country is facing at this time, as well as to discuss the broader framework of bilateral cooperation, the benchmarks of joint actions for the current year and Romania's support for the European integration process.Hurezeanu held a joint press statement with the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Moldova, Mihai Popsoi."We addressed, as the minister mentioned, the current energy situation, its socio-economic consequences, the upcoming electoral exercises that we share to some extent, because the Republic of Moldova will also have them in the second half of the year. We will have them in May - we are talking about the presidential elections", the Romanian minister said.In this context, he highlighted foreign interference."We know that both the energy crisis and the influence of democratic elections have a certain common denominator: we are exposed to hostile actions that create vulnerabilities, from the Russian Federation. If it had not been for the courage of this government, here, in Chisinau, to consolidate energy security in an accelerated and, each time, competent manner, the Russian Federation would probably have maintained its capacity to leave the inhabitants of the Republic of Moldova in the cold and in the dark at any time", Hurezeanu appreciated.He assessed that hybrid attacks would continue."Therefore, all the destabilizing actions and urgent needs caused by the energy crisis have led, not as a secondary effect, but as a main effect, to a tightening of ties between us," the head of Romanian diplomacy said.In this regard, he recalled that Romania supplies the Republic of Moldova with over 50-60% of its current electricity needs, mentioning the Iasi-Ungheni gas pipeline and the fact that three high-frequency lines are in preparation.The Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs was received by the President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, the Speaker of the Parliament in Chisinau, Igor Grosu, and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, Dorin Recean.According to a release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the head of Romanian diplomacy assured senior Moldovan officials that Romania would continue to provide its full support for managing the current energy crisis, for implementing the reforms necessary for European integration and for advancing the accession negotiations with the European Union.He welcomed the assistance worth 30 million euros recently announced by the European Commission regarding the gas supply to the Transdniestrian region. Hurezeanu highlighted that at the European level there is understanding and a renewed commitment for the difficult situation in which the majority of the population of the Republic of Moldova is and that solutions are being sought to respond to the requests for immediate support, submitted by the authorities in Chisinau.At the same time, Emil Hurezeanu had a meeting with Cosmin Dinescu, head of the EU Partnership Mission in the Republic of Moldova (EUPM), during which he thanked him for the particularly important activity and efforts of the EU Mission in support of the authorities in Chisinau.The Romanian minister stressed the importance of the EUPM, noting the regional context dominated by security threats and especially by hostile actions of a hybrid nature.  (Photo:www.mae.ro)