Bulgaria welcomes the initiative of Germany, France and Romania to establish a Platform in Support of Moldova
05 April 2022 News
Bulgaria welcomes as very timely the initiative of Germany, France and Romania to establish an international Platform to support Moldova in dealing with the wave of refugees from Ukraine and to strengthen the country's resilience. This was stated by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Velislava Petrova, who represented Bulgaria at the inaugural conference of the Platform on April 5, 2022 in Berlin.
The conference was hosted by the Foreign Ministers of Germany, France and Romania, Annalena Baerbock, Jean-Yves Le Drian and Bogdan Aurescu. The aim of the forum is both to mobilize immediate international support for Moldova with a focus on material and financial assistance and the relocation of refugees, and to unite efforts to support Moldova's energy security, fight corruption, the rule of law and protect borders.
During the conference, the Bulgarian side condemned Russia's aggression in Ukraine, emphasizing that the war poses an immediate threat to European and global security with serious geostrategic consequences, especially for the region of Eastern Europe.
“We are deeply concerned about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Ukraine and the impact it is having on neighboring countries. Devastation is the word,”, said Deputy Minister Petrova.
The unwavering Bulgarian support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova within its internationally recognized borders was emphasized. Bulgaria strongly and consistently supports the European perspective of the Republic of Moldova according to its merits and within the existing procedures.
Moldova is very close to the heart of Bulgaria and because of the large Bulgarian historical community, which serves as a bridge between our two countries.
“Bulgaria will continue to support Moldova to the maximum of its capabilities, we are discussing opportunities for medium-term and long-term support”, said Deputy Minister Petrova and added that the Republic of Bulgaria has implemented only within the Official Development Assistance projects for over 1 million euros in order to improve the quality of education, health care, the rule of law, etc.
“In the current challenging times, unity is extremely important”, said Deputy Minister Petrova in her speech at the conference and reaffirmed our country's strong political support for Moldova and the need for long-term sustainability of cooperation.
Deputy Minister Petrova's visit to Berlin ended with a meeting at the German Foreign Ministry with the Secretary of State for Europe, Ms. Anna Lührmann.