Prime Minister, Dacian Ciolos on Thursday said after a meeting with his Moldovan counterpart, Pavel Filip that a second installment of the repayable assistance to the Republic of Moldova could be enforced after a decision is made by the International Monetary Funds (IMF)’s Board.
“The second tranche (…) will be discussed with the government of the Republic of Moldova, too, and might take place after this financing agreement with the IMF is substantiated. (…) After a decision by the IMF Board is issued we could discuss the way and the date this second tranche could be delivered,” said Dacian Ciolos in a joint press conference with his Moldovan counterpart.
According to Ciolos, the measures the Romanian government has connected to the first tranche of this loan were not conditions demanded by someone who gives something to somebody requesting.
“There were measures that have resulted from the matters raised by the peoples who took the streets of Chisinau a few months ago and have resulted from the need to make progress in various important fields, such as economic, banking, financial, the reform of the judiciary in the Republic of Moldova and the approach we have had was to try to do so that this loan Romania is giving to Moldova clearly opens the way for external financing from other sources, too, from the IMF, from the European Commission,” said Ciolos, according to Agerpres.
In his turn, the Moldovan premier, Pavel Filip said that the money of this loan will be used in social fields.
“We shall come back to these discussions after we’ll have a programme with the IMF. We are speaking of this year’s October. (…) This money will be used with utmost care in social fields, in the public fields, there where the Republic of Moldova needs financing badly,” he specified.
The visit to Chisinau of Dacian Ciolos is taking place following the transfer by Romania on Wednesday to Moldova’s accounts of the first tranche worth 60 million euro of the repayable assistance for the Republic of Moldova. The agreement on the repayable assistance between Romania and Moldova worth up to 150 million euro was ratified through Law 91/6 May 2016.
This topic was also approached by the Romanian premier, in Chisinau, with the president of the Parliament of Moldova, Andrian Candu.
Subsequently, PM Ciolos was received by the president of Moldova, Nicolae Timofti at the State Residence in Chisinau.
Moldovan PM: Sped up Moldova – Romania energy cooperation in the months ahead
The Republic of Moldova seeks getting connected to European energy grids and to this end, the relevant cooperation with Romania will be sped up, Moldovan PM Pavel Filip said on Thursday after the meeting with his Romanian counterpart Dacian Ciolos, who is paying an official visit to Chisinau.
“Moldova seeks getting connected not just to the European values and principles, but also to European energy grids, in order to remove major old vulnerabilities; Romania has been and stays Moldova’s staunchest supporter, contributing to our aspiration to transform into a European and democratic state. Therefore, for the coming months we agreed to speed up energy cooperation, which is a major priority for Moldova. When we talk about a state’s security we cannot disregard energy security. We will advance along electricity interconnections (…) and we will also develop natural gas interconnection, I am referring here to the expansion of the Ungheni – Chisinau gas pipeline,” Paul Filip told a press conference delivered jointly with Dacian Ciolos.
He stressed that European integration is Moldova’s “country project.” “Today, more than ever I am convinced that Romania is a dedicated and close friend of the Republic of Moldova, as proves our strategic partnership for European integration and our joint project to be together in Europe, in the European Union,” Filip said.
The Moldovan PM thanked Romania for “the valuable expertise and experience” it offers his country for the advancement of its European agenda.
“I gave thanks for the financial aid, be it either repayable assistance, financial development assistance, non-repayable aid, humanitarian aid, or the support provided for the Republic of Moldova’s European roadmap and the steps Bucharest takes in Brussels in Moldova’s favor,” Filip underscored.
He also launched an invitation to Romanian business people to come to invest in Moldova.
“Bilateral trade is growing, we want this trend to strengthen. I’d like to extend a direct invitation to Romanian business people to come to invest in Moldova. (…) We made progress with a lot of reforms so that the Moldovan business environment has become more attractive and when it comes to privatization or (…) energy, Romanian business people are of course welcome to the Republic of Moldova. (…) I hereby invite them to also consider (…) banking, which is also a very important sector,” said Filip.
The head of the Moldovan government said that he and PM Ciolos discussed, among others, ways to guarantee investments, but also about streamlining traffic through customs checkpoints. “It’s important that we fluidize transport and cut as much as possible the people’s wait time in customs,” added Filip.
Ciolos: Outcome of Moldova’s presidential election will signal the country’s direction
Romania’s Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos said Thursday that the outcome of the presidential election to be held this year in Moldova will signal the direction the country wants to follow.
“Romania wants to continue being the main advocate of Moldova’s European orientation. To this end, we continue being an active partner in the group of Moldova’s European action where we can mobilise other European capital cities in order to preserve Moldova’s rapprochement with the European Union. (…) That will also depend on the manner in which Moldova’s citizens decide to approach things, and surely the outcome of the presidential election to be held this tear will signal the direction Moldova wants to follow,” said Ciolos, on an official visit to Moldova, at a joint news conference with his Moldovan counterpart Pavel Filip in Chisinau.
He added that he wants Moldova’s development to be visible and noticeable to all the country’s citizens.
“The Romanian Government wants to support the development of Moldova, instead of coming up with biased action one way or the other. We are supporting reforms and this commitment to the democratic values, the European values. This, I believe, is the best way to prove our brotherly attachment to Moldova,” said Ciolos.
Romania is ready to work on establishing a guarantee fund for investments in Moldova
Romania is ready to work on the establishment of an investment guarantee fund in Moldova, Romania’s Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos said on Thursday after meeting his Moldovan counterpart Pavel Filip in Chisinau.
“I have confirmed to Mr Prime Minister that we are ready to start working on opening a branch in Moldova of Romania’s Credit Guarantee Fund for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises to fund local SME programmes. (…) We are ready to also look into establishing a guarantee fund for investments, which are not only Romanian investments, but a joint venture of Romanian and Moldovan companies investing in Moldova,” Ciolos told a joint news conference with Filip in Chisinau.
He added that boosting Romanian investment in Moldova is important.
“Moldova has this association agreement with the European Union that includes a free trade agreement, so there are prospects for Moldova’s more intense presence on the Romanian markets, and consequently on the single European market. Romania is Moldova’s main trade partner, and I believe we have the necessary ingredients, to the extent reforms continue in Moldova, to improve the business environment and to encourage Romanian investors – strong state-run companies that are about to become regional players in the European Union and private investors. There are already agreements, cooperation protocols in place between Transgaz and its Moldovan partner, between Romania’s Transelectrica and its Moldovan partner,” said Ciolos.
Romaian PM added that the companies are ready to consider investing in Moldova. “These interconnections on which we are working can more easily find funding sources for completion and even for continuing construction on the Iasi-Ungheni natural gas pipeline, to extend it to Chisinau, and also to be able to transmit gas afterwards. So, Transgaz is ready to invest provided that there is a constructive approach on the part of Moldova, and so is Transelectrica. (…) We are working on electricity transmission interconnections,” said Ciolos.
He added that there is an important Romanian bank ready to invest in Moldova.
PM Ciolos on Transnistrian conflict: Romania remains an active pillar in finding solutions
Romania continues to remain an active supporter of finding a solution to the Transnistrian conflict, said on Thursday Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos, after the meeting with his Moldovan counterpart Pavel Filip.
“We encourage the resumption of discussion in the 5+2 format. This is where I believe it is important for the Republic of Moldova to set, the Government to set very clearly its objectives and we hope that (…) in a very pragmatic approach, solutions be found. (…) Romania continues to remain an active supporter of finding solutions for this conflict. I believe many things depend on the pragmatic approach that the parties take in this discussion,” said Prime Minister Ciolos, in a joint press conference with his Moldovan counterpart Pavel Filip, in Chisinau, when asked how he sees a resolve to the Transnistrian conflict.
The Moldovan Prime Minister, Pavel Filip, catalogued the maintaining of peace in this region as “an accomplishment”.
“If we speak of the Transnistrian conflict (…), from my point of view, it is an accomplishment that peace in the region is maintained. (…) It is very important that we managed this year, after a very lengthy break, to resume negotiations in the 5+2 format. On this dimension, the Republic of Moldova is very active, there are many issues on the agenda and our approach is to go first on issues that touch on the comfort of the citizen regardless if this citizen lives on the left bank or the right bank of the Nistru river,” said Filip.
He also stated that there is “a limit” over which the Republic of Moldova cannot pass in regards to the statehood and integrity of the country.
“Our vision is to find ultimately a formula, to grant a status to this region by which the Republic of Moldova remain an integral state and this formula (…) be a viable one. We are grateful to Germany, who is holding the OSCE presidency this year and, maybe, due to this fact, we have advanced and had several meetings in different formats,” he added.
Furthermore, the Moldovan PM mentioned that he has also discussed with the Romanian PM matters pertaining to the security developments in the regional environment.
“We have exchanged opinions also on the topic of security developments in the regional environment. We share (…) the vision of a region of peace and democracy, in which truth trumps propaganda, and the force of principles and of international law is more important than brute force,” Pavel Filip also stated., according to Agerpres.
Romania’s PM: We support reforms in the Moldovan citizens’ interest, we don’t back one party against another
Prime Minister, Dacian Ciolos on Thursday asserted in the debut of a meeting with representatives of the civil society in the Republic of Moldova that the goal of the Bucharest government is to support reforms in the interest of the Moldovan citizens and not to back one political party against another.
“The way we have addressed, very pragmatically (…) the relationship with the Government of the Republic of Moldova this year has also been influenced by the positioning of some organisations with the civil society which have sustained and demanded resolute commitments connected to the reforms. From this reason, too for the first time in the approach of the relationship between Romania and Moldova, Romania has connected the transfer of this first tranche of assistance to a series of reform measures the Government of Moldova has committed to. (…) We did not and do not want that this approach be a political or politicising, a biased one. Our target is to back the reforms in the interest of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova and not to back a party against the other,” Ciolos said.
He added that he wishes to see that reforms that strengthen democracy, the rule of law and lead to the implementation of some shared, joint, European values Romania has also committed to and bring fruit in Romania, do make progress in Moldova.
Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos was accompanied in this meeting with representatives of the civil society by the Romanian ambassador to Moldova, Daniel Ionita, the deputy premier Vasile Dincu, as well as by the ministers Victor Grigorescu (Energy), Anca Dragu (Public Finances), Raluca Pruna (Justice), Cristian Ghinea (European Funds) and Maria Ligor (minister delegate for the relations with Romanians abroad).