“Europe and Ukraine need a strong Moldova. Strong enough to support Ukraine during the war. Strong enough to maintain peace and stability in our region. Strong enough to shelter refugees,” Moldovan President Maia Sandu told Politico newspaper ahead of a meeting of the Moldova Support Platform in Paris, France.

The head of state told the source that the war provoked by Russia in Ukraine has a significant impact on the living standards of Moldovan citizens and on the country’s economy.

“(…) Inflation is approaching 35%; prices have skyrocketed; trade routes are disrupted (…) Meanwhile, Russia’s supporters and criminal groups have joined forces to exploit the energy crisis and fuel discontent. They hope to fuel political unrest. Using the full spectrum of hybrid threats – including false bomb threats, cyber attacks, disinformation, calls for social unrest and bribery – they are working to destabilise the government, erode democracy and jeopardise Moldova’s contribution to Europe’s security. Our vulnerabilities could weaken Ukraine’s resilience as well as stability on the rest of the continent (…).

Today, French President Emmanuel Macron is hosting a meeting of the Support Platform for Moldova – an initiative led by France, Germany and Romania. The forum aims to mobilise much-needed support ahead of what promises to be a precarious winter. Moldova wants to finance its gas and electricity purchases from new sources and support social programmes for the most vulnerable, which will help mitigate price increases. In the last 12 months, the price of gas in our country has increased sevenfold, while the price of electricity has increased fourfold. This winter, Moldovans risk spending up to 65% of their income on energy bills (…)”, stressed Maia Sandu.

On 20-21 November, the head of state is in Paris, where she is leading Moldova’s delegation to the third meeting of the Support Platform for Moldova. Several members of the Chisinau government are taking part in the event.

In the French capital, President Maia Sandu will hold a series of bilateral meetings.

The Moldova Support Platform is an initiative of Romania, Germany and France, which aims to generate immediate political, financial and material assistance and in-depth expertise for the democratic reform process from European Union institutions and member states, G7 countries, international financial institutions and international organisations, as well as other development partners.

“The purpose of organizing the Conferences is to mobilize, focus and coordinate political, technical and financial support from developed countries to Moldova,” according to the government in Chisinau.

The first edition of the Ministerial Conference of the Support Platform for Moldova took place in Berlin, Germany, on 5 April. The second took place in Bucharest, Romania, on 15 July.