Moldovan President's speech at joint press conference with President of Poland

Dear Mr President Nawrocki,

It is a pleasure to be in Warsaw today. Thank you for your kind invitation.

Poland and Moldova share more than three decades of partnership. A partnership built on trust, solidarity, and a shared understanding of our region.

And I am confident that this partnership will continue to grow stronger — politically, economically, and strategically.

Poland has stood with Moldova not only as a friend, but as a partner in building resilience — practical resilience that protects our citizens and our sovereignty.

When Russia invaded Ukraine, Moldova was highly exposed: 100% dependent on Russian gas, vulnerable in electricity, and economically somewhat linked to Russia.

With support from partners, including Poland, we moved fast. Today Moldova buys zero Russian gas and consumes zero electricity produced from Russian gas. Our trade with Russia is now below 4%.

And while we strengthened our energy security, we also defended our sovereignty.

Over three consecutive election years, Moldova’s institutions, media, and citizens stood firm against systematic and unprecedented Russian interference.

We estimate that Russia spent close to 2% of Moldova’s GDP to distort our parliamentary elections in 2025 — through coordinated information manipulation, cyberattacks, illicit funding of political parties, acts of sabotage, paid protests, and deliberate attempts to provoke violence on our streets.

That pressure did not derail Moldova. It reinforced our direction. We accelerated reforms, strengthened institutions, and aligned more deeply with EU standards.

The European Commission’s Enlargement Report recognised that, last year, Moldova made the greatest progress among candidate countries.

For us, joining the European Union is the clearest guarantee of security, democracy, and freedom.

Throughout this period, Poland has been a consistent and credible advocate for Moldova in the European Union — and we see this support not only as a sign of friendship, but as a foundation on which we want to build even more together.

Our economic ties are growing. But there is still untapped potential. Moldova wants to increase trade with Poland and attract more Polish investment — in agriculture and food processing, industry, infrastructure, energy, construction, IT, and the digital economy.

Polish companies already present in Moldova show what this partnership can deliver. We encourage more Polish entrepreneurs to see Moldova as a reliable place for investment. And as a platform for accessing the wider region.

Connectivity supports these ambitions. Expanded air links and stronger transport and logistics cooperation are bringing our economies and our people closer. We want to deepen these further.

Security and resilience remain the foundation of everything we build.

Moldova values Poland’s experience in strengthening defence and countering modern threats. We are working to update and deepen our bilateral defence cooperation agreement. So that it reflects today’s security environment. And so that it strengthens cooperation between our institutions.

This includes closer work on resilience. On countering hybrid threats. And on protecting critical infrastructure.

Over the past years, Moldova has invested steadily in building its own resilience. This includes hard-won experience in countering Russian hybrid threats. We are ready to continue learning from Poland’s experience and, where useful, to share our own.

Beyond security and economics, our partnership is also about values. And about memory.

Yesterday, I visited the Katyn museum– a powerful place of reflection.

Moldova wants to learn from Poland’s experience in protecting historical memory and promoting truth. This matters especially in a region where disinformation often seeks to rewrite the past in order to control the future.

Mr President, your personal commitment to history and memory — including your work leading Poland’s Institute of National Remembrance — is known and respected in Moldova.

Preserving memory is not only about the past. It is about resilience. About dignity. And about the values we pass on to the next generation.

Mr President,

Poland has also been a strong and credible voice in Europe. Especially on EU enlargement.

We share a clear conviction: EU enlargement is not an act of generosity. It is an investment in Europe’s security.

Enlarging the European Union means enlarging its area of peace, stability, and shared rules.

Moldova is fully committed to this path. We are doing the work. Because we believe in the European project. And because we want to contribute to it.

Dear Mr President,

We are living in a bleak and demanding reality. War has been raging in the heart of Europe for far too long. Rules are being challenged. Borders are being called into question. And peace can no longer be taken for granted.

In such times, solidarity is not just a slogan. It is a test of who we are.

That is why Moldova and Poland stand firmly together in support of Ukraine.

Ukraine is defending not only its own freedom, but the security of the entire European continent. Ukraine’s resistance keeps Russia further from our borders. And further from yours.

We deeply appreciate Poland’s support to Ukraine — politically, militarily, and morally. We also value the solidarity shown by Polish society, whose practical support for Ukrainians, including providing generators during freezing winter conditions, reflects a strong sense of solidarity and humanity.

By helping Ukraine resist aggression, Poland is also helping to protect Moldova. And to safeguard Europe’s future.

Dear Mr President,

In a world marked by pressure and division, Poland and Moldova choose cooperation. Thank you for your openness. And for your friendship. Moldova is proud to stand alongside Poland. 

Thank you.