Moldovan deputy PM participates in Moldova-Romania cross-border cooperation forum

Moldova and Romania are strengthening their partnership through new joint projects within the Interreg NEXT 2021-2027 Programme, discussed at a forum dedicated to cross-border cooperation, held in Chisinau today.

The event brought together high-ranking officials, including Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development Vladimir Bolea, the mayor of Iasi, Mihai Chirica, as well as representatives of local public authorities and regional development agencies from both banks of the Prut River.

At the forum's opening, Vladimir Bolea emphasized the strategic importance of the  collaboration with Romania.

“Interconnection with Romania stays our zero priority. Our activities are aimed at creating good living conditions for people and the economic growth of the country. Our commitment is to provide citizens with a chance for a dignified life, here at home, in localities with modern infrastructure and services, which will stop internal and external migration,” the deputy prime minister said.

For his part, the mayor of Iasi, Mihai Chirica, reaffirmed his support for the joint projects, highlighting the openness of the Iasi administration to boosting investments and facilitating the access of Moldovan settlements to European funds.

“Strengthening ties with localities from beyond the Prut remains one of the most important missions. We are pursuing the expansion of cooperation and the identification of new common opportunities for the upcoming period,” the Iasi mayor noted.

In recent years, thanks to the partnership between the authorities of Moldova and Romania, projects with a significant impact on communities have been carried out, including modernization of the infrastructure, environmental protection, improvement of public services, support of local producers and development of institutional capacities.

The forum reconfirmed the constant support provided by Romania to Moldova in the development process, opening up new perspectives for cross-border collaboration and for attracting European resources for the benefit of citizens on both banks of the Prut River.