February 19, 2021, Chișinău - The Republic of Moldova received humanitarian aid from the Romanian government, which will enrich emergency supplies with sanitary products, materials and equipment needed to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection. The official ceremony of handing over humanitarian assistance took place in the Great National Assembly Square, where the column of 13 trucks with donated materials worth 2.3 million euros was located.
The event was also attended by the chairman of the country's first national elections, the prime minister, the minister of foreign affairs and european integration Aureliu Ciocoi, the members of the Romanian delegation, headed by minister of foreign affairs of Romania, the Romanian chief diplomat, and Raed Arafat, secretary of state of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Romania, and the members of the European diplomatic corps in the Republic of Moldova.
Interim Prime Minister Aureliu Ciocoi appreciated the generous gesture and expressed gratitude to Romania and the Romanian government for all the assistance provided to the Republic of Moldova over time: "The operativity and solidarity shown by our EU partners is an extraordinary one. Solidarity is the key that allows us to hope that at a time of difficulty there will always be friends who will give us a helping hand. Today Romania has extended a strong helping hand in combating the pandemic effects. I very much hope that this imposing batch will allow the medical staff in our hospitals to be able to cope with this scourge – COVID-19”.
The acting prime minister stated that this is the second tranche delivered to the Republic of Moldova from EU member countries, through the European civil protection mechanism, activated by the Republic of Moldova on February 4, 2021. At the same time, the authorities are in constant dialogue with external partners on ensuring the fastest delivery of vaccines in the Republic of Moldova, in order to start the national vaccination program.
Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu reconfirmed Romania's intention to continue to support the Republic of Moldova in the European way, carrying out the reforms assumed by the Association Agreement and implementing interconnection projects for the benefit of citizens. "Romania considers Moldova a priority. This visit aims to put into practice the support measures announced by the president of Romania during his recent visit to Chisinau”, added the Romanian minister.
Therefore, the head of Romanian diplomacy mentioned that the Romanian government is going to grant 6,000 tons of diesel fuel in support of farmers in the Republic of Moldova, affected by drought. It also makes considerable effort to deliver to our country a donation of 200,000 doses of vaccine, but is also open for the conclusion of the 6th Additional Protocol to the Agreement on the Implementation of the Technical and Financial Assistance Program, based on a non-reimbursable financial aid of 100 million euro, granted by Romania to the Republic of Moldova. Under the agreement, 68 million euros are available for the realization of the necessary projects in our country.
Peter Michalko, head of the EU delegation in the Republic of Moldova, said that the donation demonstrated by the fact that the European Union is in solidarity with the citizens of the Republic of Moldova: "During the course of the pandemic, the EU has provided constant support to the Republic of Moldova in the framework of the EU and the WHO's "Solidarity for Health", safety equipment and materials, healthcare, funding for the revitalization of the economy, the strengthening of the health care sector, microfinancial assistance, and the new Contract for Resilience, which will bring an additional 300 million euros for the Republic of Moldova".
At the end of the event, officials conducted an inspection tour of the lot donated by Romania. Humanitarian aid includes medical protective equipment, 1.5 million surgical masks, 100 thousand FFP3 masks, 100 thousand overalls and 100 thousand non-sterile gloves.
