Romania to loan Moldova € 150 million
Valeriu Strelet, the Moldovan Prime Minister, stressed that such an offer represents quite the welcomed assistance for his country during this crucial financially strained period.
Victor Ponta proposed a loan of €150 million which would have to be paid off in five years. Romania is also considering the free financing of projects in Moldova, which would not have to be reimbursed.
Radio Romania Actualitati reports that yesterday, during the common meeting between the Romanian and Moldovan governments, which took place in Neptun, Constanta, Strelet expressed his wish that Romania become the principal investor in the Moldovan Republic. He subsequently noted that Moldova would accord benefits to Romanian firms willing to thusly direct their capital.
Moreover the commitment to continuing the common projects in which the two nations are already involved such as those relating to the bilateral interconnection of national energy and gas systems was renewed. These projects, as the source reports, are meant to help Moldova reach a certain level of independence.
Romania intends to help its neighbor
strengthen its resource independence and thus, perhaps contribute to
a degree of calming political ambiguities in the state. During the
bilateral governmental meeting, a protest was held in favor of
unification between the two nations which were at one time a single entity.
Since the Ukraine crisis began, Moldova has faced hard times politically, finding itself between the EU with its tantalizing promise of Westernization and Russia's alleged 'near abroad' ambitions.
Moreover, as Forbes reports, economic troubles in the region truly started surfacing when, due to a serious fraud which had immensely negative consequences, three of the banks in Moldova, namely Banca de Economii, Banca Sociala and Unibank failed only four days before elections, November 23-27.
Therefore, as one can see, the environment in which Romania aims to step in and help its neighbor is a tumultuous and uncertain one, however, at this point in time it would look as if the assistance is not only needed but vital.
