International conference in support of Moldova in Paris
Paris is hosting an international conference on Monday in support of Moldova, which is bearing the full brunt of the consequences of the war in Ukraine, with the immediate objective of providing it with emergency aid to get through the winter, while accompanying it on the way to membership of the European Union.
The Russian company Gazprom has halved its gas exports to this small country of 2.6 million inhabitants, a candidate since the end of June for entry into the European Union (EU). “We must help the population to hold on”French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna told reporters, adding that material and financial aid would be granted on Monday. “Russia has cut off a good part of the gas it usually delivers to Moldova, and, moreover, electricity exports from Ukraine are no longer possible due to the bombardments on Ukrainian infrastructure”recalled M.me Colonna.
The “international platform of support for Moldova” was launched on the initiative of Germany, France and Romania. Two editions have already taken place, the first in Berlin, in March, the second in Bucharest, in July, but this third meeting takes on particular importance with the arrival of winter and “Russian gas blackmail”, we summarized from a French diplomatic source. Forty-five international delegations representing the EU, the United States, as well as international organizations and international financial institutions will be present at the conference center of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In an interview recently granted to Agence France-Presse, the Moldovan Foreign Minister, Nicu Popescu, had assessed the need for additional financing at 1.1 billion euros to cover the additional energy costs this winter. “Our country is threatened militarily” by Russia, he insisted, recalling the presence of Russian soldiers in the pro-Russian separatist region of Transnistria.