CHISINAU (Askume) – German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Tuesday at a meeting to allay concerns about Russia’s growing interference in the region that support for Ukraine guarantees the survival of neighbouring Moldova.
“Everything we do to support Ukraine is aimed at promoting stability in Moldova,” Baerbock said.
Belbok visited Chisinau together with his counterparts from France, Romania, Poland, the Netherlands and Lithuania to participate in the Moldova Partnership Platform.
Germany, one of Kiev’s main military backers in Europe, launched the platform after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 and portrayed it as part of a broader effort to stabilize Moldova’s economy and protect it from Russian disinformation.
Moldova, where the majority speaks Romanian and the minority Russian, has alternated between pro-Russian and pro-Western governments since the collapse of the Soviet Union and now has a strongly West-oriented government. Moscow has deployed troops in the region where pro-Russian separatists broke away from Chisinau in a brief war in the early 1990s.
Moldovan President Maia Sandu, who has accused Russia of trying to overthrow her government, said Moldova still faced serious challenges and urged partners to step up support.
“We have from day one condemned Russia’s war in Ukraine, which has caused massive damage to our economy,” Sandhu said.
“The uncertainty caused by the war is seriously affecting our economy and will continue to do so as long as the war continues,” he said.
Agreements were signed within the framework of the forum to provide Moldova with more than 300 million euros ($334 million) in loans and 80 million euros in grants, the state press agency said.
Allies also welcomed Moldova’s efforts to join the EU. Under Sandu, Moldova, which sits between Ukraine, NATO and EU member Romania, hopes to join the EU in 2030.
France, Germany and Poland expressed their “unwavering and consistent support” for Moldova’s EU membership application, according to a draft resolution seen by Askume following a meeting of senior diplomats from France, Germany and Poland.
Known as the Weimar Triangle, these countries have also pledged to support the Moldovan armed forces in the country’s defence, either bilaterally or as EU partners.
In May this year, Moldova signed a security and defence partnership with the EU , becoming the first country to reach such an agreement with the EU.
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