Moldovan PM's address at joint news conference with Romanian counterpart

Dear Prime Minister,

Welcome to Chisinau. Thank you for continuing a nice tradition in the relationship between our countries and for choosing Chisinau for your first foreign visit since taking office. It is an important signal of the special relationship between our countries and of our shared wish to continue and strengthen this partnership.

Dear Luca, you are at home in Chisinau. And I believe this is the most natural way to describe the relationship between our countries: a relationship in which we do not need too many formalities to understand one another and stand by each other.

For Moldova, Romania is our closest friend, the country we have always known we could rely on. We are connected by the same language, history, culture, families and communities; by children who study in Romania, people who work, build businesses and make plans for the future together. But above all, we are connected by the future we want to build together.

Romania has stood by us in difficult moments, when we needed rapid and concrete support. It has helped us cope with energy crises, modernize schools and kindergartens, develop infrastructure and provide better services in our communities. This support can be seen in people's lives and is valued in every corner of Moldova.

I have just returned from Kyiv, where I once again saw what it means to live under the constant threat of war. Just last night, the Ukrainian capital was again targeted by Russian bombardments. For the people of Ukraine, this is their everyday reality.

But this cruel war, this barbaric attack by Russia does not stop at Ukraine's borders. In both Moldova and Romania, Russian drones violate our airspace and endanger the security of our citizens. Since the beginning of the war, more than 100 unauthorized overflights of Moldova’s airspace have been recorded. We strongly condemn these violations, as well as the attacks on vessels in the Black Sea, which threaten the security of navigation and the stability of the entire region.

All this reminds us how important it is to remain united, strengthen our ability to respond to these threats and continue supporting Ukraine. The security of Moldova, Romania and Ukraine is closely interconnected. And peace and stability in our region are a shared responsibility.

Today, our relationship has reached a stage in which we must increasingly speak about what we are building together and about what each of us brings to this partnership. Romania can rely on Moldova, just as we know that we can rely on Romania.

Romania can count on us as a predictable, stable and pro-European partner that contributes to the security of our region. It can count on us as an economy that is developing and becoming increasingly connected to the Romanian economy.

We want this relationship to bring increasingly greater benefits to both banks of the Prut. In this spirit, I discussed with Prime Minister Niculescu the projects we can accelerate and the priorities for the period ahead.

First, we want to be better connected. More bridges over the Prut, better roads, and more numerous and faster border-crossing points, so that people and goods can move more quickly and easily.

We want to accelerate the Ungheni bridge project, including the access roads and border infrastructure and make progress on coordinated controls at Cantemir–Falciu.

Second, we are continuing to build our energy security together. Romania has played an essential role in supplying Moldova with energy. Now, we are building the infrastructure that will provide us with greater long-term security.

We discussed accelerating electricity interconnections, including the Balti–Suceava line, and starting next cold season, we will also be able to rely on gas from Neptun Deep in the Black Sea.

Third, we want more Romanian investments in Moldova. Romania is already one of our most important economic partners, but the potential is much greater—in industry, energy, technology and infrastructure. We want Romanian companies to invest and create jobs in Moldova, including by using our country as a platform to participate in Ukraine's reconstruction.

Dear Luca,

Romania is the strongest supporter of our European path. Our country has made significant progress. And we know very clearly what we need to do next. The primary responsibility lies with us, and we do not transfer it to anyone else: we must do our homework and demonstrate through results that Moldova is ready for accession.

But European integration is also a political process.

That is why, we need the progress we are making in Chisinau to be translated into political decisions at the highest level. And here we rely greatly on Romania.

Prime Minister, you bring extensive diplomatic experience to this position.

You represented Romania in Paris and coordinated Romania's difficult accession process to the OECD. You know very well that, in such processes, having good arguments is not enough. You must build support for them. And we are counting, among other things, on your personal experience in this regard.

Moldova's accession to the European Union will be an achievement not only for our country, but also for Romania and the entire region.

And I believe it will be a moment of particular significance for our people: the Prut will remain only a river, not a border separating two Romanian states.

Thank you, Prime Minister, for your visit, your openness and your friendship.