Ooni Koda
  1. Home
  2. /
  3. Newsfeed
  4. /
  5. Moldova's Sandu: Moldova felt Romania's shoulder close by,...

Moldova's Sandu: Moldova felt Romania's shoulder close by, helping it weather crises

December 22, 2021

President of Moldova Maia Sandu said on Tuesday that Moldova in 2021 has always felt "Romania's shoulder close by," which has helped it weather crises more easily and start building a better future.The Moldovan head of state said that Romania has "firmly" supported Moldova in economic, political, diplomatic, cultural, educational terms, and such support is felt by the citizens."Romanian investment in Moldova is important, and so is the opening of the Romanian market to our producers. Romania has been our most important trading partner for many years. Most of our exports go to Romania. We want this partnership to grow, and we will take care, including through judicial reforms, to make the Republic of Moldova a safe and attractive place for investment. I want to send a message to investors: the Republic of Moldova is changing, our state will become more efficient, more transparent, more business friendly, so we are waiting for you to come to the Republic of Moldova," said Sandu at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace in Bucharest at the end of a meeting with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis.She pointed out that her official visit to Bucharest represents further proof to the special relationship that Moldova has with Romania."In 2021, the Republic of Moldova has always felt Romania's shoulder close by, which has helped us get through crises more easily, and also start building a better future. Thanks to Romania and the outcome of the discussions we had in December in Chisinau, the Republic of Moldova received the first donations of COVID-19 vaccine, which allowed us to start the vaccination process in early March and save thousands of lives. (...) Romania is the largest donor of vaccine, and millions of items of personal protective equipment are adding up to them. In the spring of 2020, doctors from Romania came to work side by side with their colleagues in the Republic of Moldova in COVID wards full of patients. I am glad that we could reciprocate this autumn with a similar gesture. (...) This autumn, in the midst of an energy crisis, the Romanian government came to our aid, offering us fuel oil to produce heat," said Sandu.She added that Moldova remains interested in carrying out an inter-connection project for the Suceava-Balti power lines and that she supports the Romanian electricity companies entering the Moldovan market, which will stimulate competition in a market still dominated by monopolies."Another very important project to us is the construction of the road bridge over the Prut in Ungheni. It will connect us more easily both to Iasi and to the motorway that will connect eastern Romania to the European Union. A draft agreement has already been developed by the Romanian side, and we hope that we will move quickly in terms of building or renovating other bridges across the Prut - it is to the benefit of the economy, and also of the people on both banks of the river," added Sandu.The Moldovan president also said that there is excellent co-operation between Moldova and Romania and a lot of openness on the part of the officials in both countries."From now on, we count on Romania's bilateral support, and also on its important voice within the European Union. European integration is a major goal of the Republic of Moldova, which we can achieve with the support of our friends in Bucharest. Strategic partnership for European integration between the Republic of Moldova and Romania will help us achieve this goal faster, in the interest of our citizens. There are all the prerequisites in place for obtaining historical results in our relationship and for the next years to be the best and most successful in the relationship between our countries," said Sandu. 

Read in full - click here
Venice Film Festival: Romanian director Cristian Mungiu, member of this year’s jury

Romanian director Cristian Mungiu will be part of the jury that will judge the films in the main competition of this year’s Venice Film Festival - Venezia 82. The jury, headed by American director Alexander Payne, includes French director and screenwriter Stéphane Brizé, Italian director and screenwriter Maura Delpero, Iranian director and writer Mohammad Rasoulof, Brazilian actress, writer, and […]

Council of Europe report: Romania among six European countries facing severe prison overcrowding

Romania continues to face significant prison overcrowding, according to the Council of Europe’s latest data, released on Friday, July 18. The 2024 Annual Penal Statistics on Prison Populations (SPACE I) show that Romania is among six countries in Europe with severe overcrowding, housing 116 inmates for every 100 available places. The report, which...

Chris Hemsworth's surprise drum performance with Ed Sheeran in Bucharest featured in new ‘Limitless’ season

Chris Hemsworth returns to Disney+ in August with a new season of the National Geographic documentary series Limitless, this time focused not just on longevity, but on discovering how to live better. Titled Limitless: Live Better Now, the three-part season follows Hemsworth through physical, emotional, and mental challenges across six countries, with one standout episode […]

Black Sea 200 Regatta 2025: First non-stop offshore regatta in Romania takes place this month

The Black Sea 200 Regatta 2025, Romania’s first non-stop offshore regatta with a 200 nautical mile route, takes place between July 21 and 27. Now in its first edition, the event brings together more than 10 boats from Romania and Bulgaria, according to the organizers. The endurance course will start and finish in the Romanian […]

Illegal zoo in southern Romania fined for environmental and animal welfare violations

The National Environmental Guard has fined an illegally operating zoo in Dâmbovița county, southern Romania, a total of RON 120,000 following a joint inspection that uncovered serious violations, including the lack of environmental authorization and inadequate conditions for wild animals kept in captivity. The zoo was reportedly charging RON 50 per person for entry and […]

Romania’s cybersecurity agency and Enevo join forces to protect energy infrastructure

The National Cybersecurity Directorate (DNSC) and engineering company Enevo Group have signed a strategic cooperation agreement to strengthen cybersecurity in Romania’s energy sector. The partnership aims to test and develop monitoring and alerting technologies for cyberattacks, and to improve national response coordination to incidents affecting critical infrastructure, the companies said. The agreement focuses on sharing […]