President: We have always had very good relations with USA

President Maia Sandu said that the Republic of Moldova has always had very good relations with the United States of America, and will continue to work to further cooperation.


"We have always had very good relations with the USA. We have very good development projects, infrastructure modernization projects, investment projects in various sectors such as the wine industry. We have many good projects and we are grateful for that. Now, the funding provided through USAID has either ceased or is no longer discussed, but we are still talking about some energy sector projects, and we will see if we can obtain these projects. But even without these projects, we have cooperation in different sectors and we will work to continue the cooperation," Maia Sandu said in an interview for a media portal in the Republic of Moldova.


The head of state noted that at this stage, the priority is to provide assistance to Ukraine and to end the war in the neighboring country.


"We have constant discussions through diplomatic missions, through the US Embassy in Chisinau, and the Embassy of the Republic of Moldova in Washington. There are more important issues now. We all hope that the USA will be able to ensure that the war in Ukraine ends. So, we understand what the priority is, and the priority is assistance to Ukraine. But, we are also discussing our own agenda issues. There were even some meetings here when representatives from Congress visited. So, yes, we are trying to maintain cooperation, and in some matters, especially regarding security, cyber protection, we have good cooperation," the president affirmed.


Referring to the tariffs announced by the USA for Moldovan products, Maia Sandu emphasized that discussions on this subject are ongoing. "I understand that there are discussions between the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization. We will see if it is possible to reduce the tariffs. These were higher initially, now they have reached 25%. If we succeed, of course, it would be very good to obtain a decrease in 25% rate," Maia Sandu said.

President Maia Sandu was also asked about the process of appointing a new US Ambassador to Chisinau.


"If you remember, the previous ambassador left during the democratization period, and for at least six months, we did not have an ambassador here, and then the administration changed. It's not just the case with Moldova. It is clear that changes take place because one administration replaced another, and with that, most ambassadors also change. We cannot say that the Republic of Moldova is the number one priority. Certainly, there are larger countries with bigger problems or with greater economic interest. It does not mean that we do not have this cooperation through the representatives of the embassy here and our representatives in Washington," Maia Sandu concluded.