BERLIN/PARIS (dpa-AFX) – Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has announced further aid for the Republic of Moldova, which is suffering particularly from the consequences of the Ukraine war. “Now that the bitter winter is just around the corner, we will do it again at the third Moldova Support Platform Conference,” said the Greens politician on Sunday before her departure for a one-day visit to Paris. She did not name specific amounts. In Paris, Baerbock wanted, among other things, to take part in an international supporters’ conference for the former Soviet Republic of Moldova.
Together they have shown “that Europe will not back down if a member of our family is subjected to a war of aggression against their country, against its freedom and democracy,” emphasized Baerbock in view of the international support for Ukraine. The aggression of Russia’s President Wladimir Putin also threatens all other states of the former Soviet Union, “especially those that have set out on the path that is most dangerous for Putin: towards democracy”.
Referring to Putin, the minister underscored: “Anyone who believes that democracies are vulnerable by letting people freeze, let us show them: we stand united, in solidarity and resolutely against any attempt to blackmail a member of our European family or make them compliant.”
In addition to Baerbock, her French counterpart Catherine Colonna and the foreign ministers of Romania, Bogdan Aurescu, and Moldova, Nicu Popescu, are taking part in the supporters’ conference in Paris. French President Emmanuel Macron and Moldova’s President Maia Sandu speak at the end of the meeting. Moldova was declared an EU candidate country along with Ukraine in June. Hundreds of thousands of refugees came to the neighboring country of Ukraine with around 2.6 million inhabitants at the beginning of the Russian attack on Ukraine. Of these, 90,000 are further afield. Moldova is one of the poorest countries in Europe./evs/bk/DP/he