Klaus Iohannis and Maia Sandu sign Declaration on bilateral cooperation to strengthen Rep.of Moldova's resilience

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis and Moldovan President Maia Sandu signed a Declaration on bilateral cooperation to strengthen the Republic of Moldova's resilience on Saturday in Chisinau.The declaration was signed "based on the special nature of bilateral relations, based on the community of language, culture and history" and "reaffirming the objectives set out in the bilateral Strategic Partnership for the European integration of the Republic of Moldova".The document, which comprises eight points, stipulates that Romania and the Republic of Moldova will cooperate in order to advance at political and technical level the accession negotiations of the Republic of Moldova to the European Union, which assumes the objective of being ready for accession by 2030. Moreover, in the current regional context, the two countries will continue to advance military and security cooperation in order to strengthen the defence potential of the Republic of Moldova, reads the text of the declaration. According to it, "special attention will be paid to strengthening the republic of Moldova's resilience in the face of hybrid threats, disinformation, the undermining of democratic processes and the rule of law".At the same time, the two countries will improve judicial cooperation, border management, the fight against organised and economic crime, and money laundering.Another objective mentioned in the declaration is to prioritise the energy interconnection of the two countries and the "development of the energy market in the Republic of Moldova and integration into European market mechanisms and security of energy supply".Cooperation in attracting European funds, funds from other international organisations and private investments in view of the realisation of infrastructure projects of common interest is also included in the declaration signed on Saturday by the Romanian and Moldovan presidents.The text also mentions the determination of the two countries to assist Ukraine in "managing the consequences of Russia's aggression". "Romania and the Republic of Moldova will cooperate in facilitating cross-border flows of goods with a view to the continued use of the Solidarity Lanes, facilitation of reconstruction efforts in Ukraine, as well as the continuation of trilateral dialog on current issues," the declaration reads.Another point of the document mentions the encouragement by the authorities of the two countries of the development of cooperation both at the level of central and local public institutions, civil society, academic and cultural environment, as well as the media.