World Bank willing to further support Moldova

Chisinau, 11 February /MOLDPRES/ - President Maia Sandu today had an online discussion with World Bank’s Regional Country Director for Moldova, Belarus and Ukraine, Arup Banerji, the presidential press service has reported.  

The head of state reviewed the present political situation in Moldova and set forth her position on the future cooperation with the World Bank. Attending the discussions were also the presidential adviser on economic issues, Veaceslav Negruta, and the WB Country Director for Moldova, Europe and Central Asia Anna Akhalkatsi.    

Maia Sandu thanked the World Bank’s representatives for the openness and constant support provided to Moldova within diverse programmes on development. Sandu said she was open for giving final touches, and respectively, the signing of the agreements for three new projects with the World Bank in the next three months. These agreements are under elaboration by WB specialists and regard: 1) supply with anti-COVID vaccine, 2) strengthening the infrastructure of supply with water and sewerage in Moldova and 3) agricultural sector. The Moldovan president noted that one of the priorities of her mandate was the post-pandemic economic recovery in Moldova. She also said that, for this, a functional government was needed and a parliamentary majority which is to back the cabinet’s initiatives and the reforms’ agenda.     

„We have more challenges than ever – the poverty, which has become more acute as a result of the pandemic, hitting also young people; a large number of elderly people in need of state’s support; the need to reintegrate the citizens from the Diaspora, who returned home from abroad, because they had lost their jobs there. At the same time, none of these problems can be settled, if we do not reform the justice, do not liquidate corruption or do not consolidate, including financially, the local public administration,’’ Maia Sandu said.     

Arup Banerji reiterated the World Bank’s willingness to support, through its programmes, the fulfillment of Moldova’s country priorities, noting especially the justice reform and the agriculture’s modernization.

photo: presedintie.md