Deputy Prime Minister: Reintegration has already begun through things that bring people closer together

Moldova's reintegration must be built gradually, through measures that bring people closer together and improve their everyday lives, and the process “has already begun,” Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration Valeriu Chiveri told an interview with MOLDPRES.

According to the official, the Republic of Moldova must not wait for the final political settlement of the Transnistrian conflict before addressing citizens’ concrete problems.


“Reintegration has already begun, gradually, through the things that bring people closer together and improve their everyday lives,” Chiveri said.


He noted that tens of thousands of residents of the left bank of the Dniester work, study, access services, or develop their businesses on the right bank, and that these experiences show them the benefits of closer ties with the Republic of Moldova.

The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that the authorities’ objective remains the reintegration of the Republic of Moldova “on the basis of sovereignty and territorial integrity, within the internationally recognized borders.”

In the official’s view, reintegration cannot be achieved through a single decision. The process involves strengthening institutions, resolving security issues, and gradually bringing the region closer to the country’s economic, educational, and legal space.

Chiveri said that the success of the process must be measured by the concrete benefits experienced by citizens, including better access to services, education, the labor market, and economic opportunities.


“If, after some time, we can say that a citizen from the left bank has more opportunities, better access to services, and more rights than they have today, then it means that the reintegration process has produced results and that people have benefited from it,” the official said.


According to the Public Services Agency, as of June 30, 2026, the State Population Register recorded 366,830 residents domiciled in localities on the left bank of the Dniester and in the municipality of Bender, of whom 359,867 were citizens of the Republic of Moldova.

According to data provided by the State Tax Service, during the first half of 2026, 23,029 people domiciled in the Transnistrian region were registered as officially employed on the right bank of the Dniester. Of these, 57.28% were men (13,190 people) and 42.72% were women (9,839 people), representing a 66.8% increase compared with the previous year, when 13,810 people were registered.

The main areas of activity attracting workers from the region are trade, manufacturing and industry, construction and transport, the public sector, and services.

At the same time, approximately 4,000 children and young people from the Transnistrian region and the municipality of Bender are enrolled in the national education system, benefiting from studies in general, vocational and technical, and higher education institutions.

In the 2025–2026 academic year, 971 students domiciled in the Transnistrian region and the municipality of Bender studied at general education institutions located on the right bank of the Dniester. At the same time, 346 young people domiciled in the Transnistrian region are enrolled in vocational and technical education institutions in state-funded places. The average annual cost of educating one student is 26,000 lei in vocational schools and 32,500 lei in colleges and centers of excellence.

Another 674 young people from the region are pursuing studies in state-funded places at public higher education institutions, including through the compensatory year program. The costs of their education, scholarships, and accommodation in dormitories are estimated at more than 37.4 million lei. These measures contribute to expanding educational opportunities and integrating young people into the unified educational space of the Republic of Moldova.

Also, according to the National Health Insurance Company, between January 1 and June 30, 2026, 82,325 Moldovan citizens domiciled in the Transnistrian region were registered in the compulsory health insurance system. At the same time, 52,975 citizens domiciled in the Transnistrian region were enrolled on the lists of family doctors working in medical institutions participating in the compulsory health insurance system. Their number increased by 35% compared with the first half of 2025, when 39,238 people were registered. The number of insured persons enrolled with family doctors increased from 20,171 to 31,890, by more than 58%.