Bogdan Aurescu: "Romania, the first commercial partner of the Republic of Moldova". Trade relations, increasing by about 50% in 2022
Trade relations between the Republic of Moldova and Romania experienced a record growth in 2022, reaching a value of over $3.5 billion. The data were presented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania, Bogdan Aurescu, who is visiting Chisinau. According to the head of diplomacy from Bucharest, commercial relations between the two countries have registered a 46% increase this year, compared to last year.
"*The Republic of Moldova has greatly developed its trade relations with Romania. Romania is now the first commercial partner of the Republic of Moldova. At the end of the year we will have a record figure of $3.5 billion of exchange between our countries, which is a great achievement, especially considering the complicated economic context both after the pandemic and that generated by the war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine. It's a 46% increase compared to last year," said Minister Bogdan Aurescu.
The head of Romanian diplomacy also referred, during a joint press conference with the Minister of Foreign Affairs from Chisinau, Nicu Popescu, to the non-reimbursable financing worth 100 million, which Romania offered to the Republic of Moldova. According to the Romanian official, our country would have accessed, so far, more than 25 million euros of this money. The funds would have been directed to key areas such as education and development projects.
"Projects worth over 25 million euros have already been approved. These are projects with concrete impact regarding the "European Village" project, to ensure easier access to water and sewage services for almost 100 thousand citizens of the Republic of Moldova. These are projects that refer to equipping educational institutions with laboratories for chemistry, physics and biology studies. Also, about hundreds of mini buses and school buses", said the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania, Bogdan Aurescu.
For his part, the Minister of Foreign Affairs from Chisinau, Nicu Popescu, expressed his gratitude for the support of Romania and the Romanian people offered to our country in order to manage the economic and energy crisis, in particular. According to him, diplomatic relations between the two countries have reached the "closest and strongest" level in recent decades.
"Absolutely, every citizen of the Republic of Moldova benefits from the support and help of Romania", declared Nicu Popescu, who recalled, in this context, Romania's financing in the infrastructure of our country, the support of Moldovan students who study across the Prut River, as well as of Romania's aid, given to our country as an emergency, in the context of the energy crisis it is going through.
It should be mentioned that the Romanian Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu, ended his diplomatic year with a visit to Chisinau. The Romanian official had meetings with the country's leadership and discussions with his counterpart, Nicu Popescu. In Chisinau, the diplomat from Bucharest assured that "Romania will be permanently with the Republic of Moldova when needed". Aurescu assured that Romania will find the necessary solutions to face all the challenges that the Republic of Moldova is facing at this moment or in the future.
"This is the purpose of my visit here. That's why I wanted to end the diplomatic year with this visit to Chisinau, to say once again that Romania is always with the Republic of Moldova and its citizens", concluded the head of Romanian diplomacy.
According to Minister Nicu Popescu, this is the 14th meeting he had, in 2022, with his Romanian counterpart, Bogdan Aurescu.
