Moldovan president's statements at joint news conference with presidents of Ukraine, Romania

Dear President Nicusor Dan,

Dear President Volodymyr Zelenskyy,

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being here in Chisinau today. The Republic of Moldova has two neighbors. And we are fortunate that both are good friends, with whom we share the same attachment to the fundamental values of our civilization – peace, freedom, and democracy.

The fact that today, on Independence Day, you are both here in Chisinau, has a special significance for us.

Thirty-five years ago, in this August week, the map of our region was changing. Romania was just 20 months after the revolution. On August 24, Ukraine proclaimed its independence. Three days later, Moldovans, young and old, gathered on the Great National Assembly Square, demanded the independence of the Republic of Moldova, and the Parliament voted for it on the same day.

We were three poor countries on the edge of Europe, with ruined economies and an uncertain future. And today, as three European states, we sit at the same table. Respected in Europe and in the world. Romania, a member of NATO and the European Union.

Ukraine, the country that, through courage and innovation, is today defending an entire continent from a brutal aggressor.

And the Republic of Moldova, a country whose people have defended through their vote their belonging to the European family and which is now negotiating accession to the EU.

In these 35 years, we have learned what independence truly means.

Independence means having light and heat in your home, regardless of what is decided in Moscow. Being able to sell your products where both you and your work are respected. Choosing your own friends and your own path. Being treated as a partner and having a say. And deciding, through voting, who leads the country.

Independence means being able to choose. Your friends, your allies, your path.

Only one thing is given to you from the very beginning: your neighbors. And the Republic of Moldova has been lucky.

To the west, we have a country that has been by our side since the proclamation of our independence. Romania has stood with us at every turning point: in the difficult early years, in energy crises, in moments when others looked at us from a distance. It did so naturally, as a brother or a sister would.

Romania carried our cause in Europe when our voice was still weak. And when it joined the European Union in 2007, Moldovans saw with their own eyes that this path is achievable.

To the east, we have a country that is defending, with the lives of its people, peace across the entire continent. With Ukraine we share 1,222 kilometers of border, and Ukrainians are keeping the aggressor away from our homes. Moldova sleeps more peacefully thanks to the resistance of the Ukrainians.

That is why, on Monday in Kyiv, I announced the conferral of the Order of the Republic on President Zelenskyy, the highest distinction of our state, for his exceptional contribution to the defense of peace and freedom on the European continent and as a sign of the gratitude of Moldovans for the courage of the Ukrainian people. I had the honor of presenting it to him today.

In 35 years, we have learned that independence is stronger when it rests on solid ties. And that is why we know what kind of country we want to be for our neighbors. A good neighbor. A reliable friend. A security partner.

This is our goal: to be a state that provides safety for those at home and for those around us – for Ukraine, Romania, and the European Union, which we are preparing to join.

Mr. President Dan,

Mr. President Zelenskyy,

The sky above us shows most clearly how important our cooperation is. Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine is felt beyond Ukraine’s borders: the airspace of the Republic of Moldova and of Romania has been violated dozens of times.

Even today, on the eve of our celebration, Russian drones entered our airspace, in an obvious attempt to intimidate us. I state clearly and firmly, in the presence of our friends: we will not be intimidated!

We are investing in air defense, so that we can protect our people and our infrastructure. And we call on all the countries of the free world to help Ukraine strengthen its air defenses. Now, before this winter.

And we continue to join our efforts. We want three countries well connected to each other. People who can travel from one country to another easily, as if at home. Borders that are well guarded, yet crossed quickly, without queues. Roads and railways on which goods move without obstacles.

Gas and electricity that flow in both directions, so that each of us has a source of energy when needed. Rivers managed together, because the Prut and the Dniester are our common resources. The Danube ports – Giurgiulesti, Galati, Reni, Izmail – working in coordination. And a sky monitored together.

This is the region we are building and the future we want – in the European Union, where both we and Ukraine aspire to be.

We work for this goal every day. Today we celebrate what we have achieved. Shortly, we will go to the Great National Assembly Square, where tens of thousands of people are waiting for us at the Independence Day concert. Mr. President Dan, Mr. President Zelenskyy, I invite you to join them.

And I say to my dear Moldovans: come to the Square. In the same square we gathered in 1989 to reclaim our language, and in 1991 to claim our independence. That is where our parents and grandparents gathered, in the hardest days, so that the Republic of Moldova would exist and be free. Today we gather to celebrate what they achieved and what we have built over these 35 years.

Happy Independence Day, Republic of Moldova!