Moldovan president gives speech at joint news conference with Cypriot counterpart

Mr. President Christodoulides,

Dear Nikos,

Welcome to Chișinău on Europe Day!

Your visit comes at an important moment — Cyprus holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, and Moldova is determined to take firm steps on our country’s European path during this period.

Thank you for choosing to mark Europe Day in Chisinau — together with our citizens who have voted for Europe in three elections over the last two years and who have defended this choice in the face of unprecedented interference.

Moldova celebrates Europe Day with conviction.

In 1950, Europe was just emerging from the most devastating war in its history. Entire cities were in ruins, millions of people had lost their lives, and a new fear had settled over the continent — that history might repeat itself. At that moment, the statesmen of the post‑war generation made a courageous choice: instead of perpetuating rivalries, they chose to build together.

French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman said at that time: “World peace cannot be safeguarded without the making of creative efforts proportionate to the dangers which threaten it.”

The European Union grew from those efforts — the most successful project of peace, solidarity and economic development in modern history. The fact that no EU Member State has gone to war with another Member State is the result of shared values, common rules and a joint commitment to peace.

Today, Europe is once again confronted with an aggressor that threatens the sovereignty of states and the international order. Our common efforts, therefore, must be proportionate to this danger. For that, we need the European Union to be stronger, more united and larger.

This means that every country that shares European values and works for them has its place in the European family. The enlargement of the European Union is a strategic response to the threats we all face.

Cyprus knows what it means to have its sovereignty threatened and its territorial integrity violated — and it also knows what it means to be part of a strong family.

Membership in the European Union has strengthened your country’s stability and created space for development, even in a complex regional context.

Moldova firmly supports the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Cyprus, as well as its reunification, in accordance with the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.

Mr. President,

We admire Cyprus’s path and believe that Moldovans deserve the same chance for stability, prosperity and peace.

For us, accession to the European Union is the most important national project since the achievement of independence. It is also a survival strategy, in a context in which an aggressor continues to threaten our sovereignty. Moldova wants to be part of the peace project that is the European Union.

We are doing our part. We are investing in energy security, reforming the justice system, strengthening the rule of law, aligning our legislation with European standards, bolstering our resilience to hybrid threats and sharing this experience with our European partners. The European Commission confirms our progress. We are ready for the official opening of chapter‑by‑chapter negotiations.

A stronger, more stable, more democratic Moldova, anchored in the European family, is also in Europe’s interest — because it will strengthen regional security and consolidate the European Union’s eastern border.

On 9 May 1950, Robert Schuman said that Europe would not be built all at once, but “through concrete achievements which first create a de facto solidarity.” The accession of Moldova to the EU and the steps we are taking in this direction are precisely those concrete achievements which confirm that the European promise is real for those who work for it.

Mr. President,

I am grateful for the support that Cyprus has provided to our accession path during this period — and I am confident that your visit today is also an opportunity to deepen the bilateral partnership between Moldova and Cyprus, a partnership between two countries that share European values and know, each in its own way, what it means to fight for them.

Thank you.