Status: 21.11.2022 06:31 a.m
Moldova is one of the poorest countries in Europe – and particularly affected by the war against Ukraine. A donor conference in Paris wants to organize further aid for the country. Foreign Minister Baerbock is also there.
An international donor conference in Paris wants to organize further aid for Moldova, which is suffering particularly from the consequences of the war against Ukraine. Before leaving for France, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock had announced that she would provide further aid for the ex-Soviet republic, but did not name any sums. “Now that the bitter winter is just around the corner, we’ll up the ante again at the third Moldovan Support Platform Conference,” she said.
A total of 1.2 billion euros was raised at the first two donor conferences. Some of these are budget support, project funds, low-interest loans and longer-term funding, for example in the energy sector. Located between Romania and Ukraine, Moldova with around 2.6 million inhabitants is one of the poorest countries in Europe.
Baerbock: stand in solidarity with Moldova
Baerbock assured Moldova of continued solidarity. The aggression of Russian President Vladimir Putin particularly threatens those states “that have started to move in the direction that is most dangerous for Putin: towards democracy,” said Baerbock. “Who believes that democracies are vulnerable by letting people freeze, let us show them that we stand united, in solidarity and resolutely against any attempt to blackmail a member of our European family or to make them compliant.”
Meeting with Macron
Like Ukraine, Moldova was declared a candidate for EU membership in the summer. After the Russian attack on Ukraine, the country took in hundreds of thousands of refugees, of whom around 90,000 are said to remain in the country. In addition to Baerbock, her French counterpart Catherine Colonna and the foreign ministers of Romania and Moldova are also taking part in the meeting. French President Emmanuel Macron and Moldova’s President Maia Sandu want to speak at the end of the conference. A direct meeting between Baerbock and Macron is also planned.