News item | 08-04-2022 | 19:30
The Netherlands comes to the aid of Moldova in receiving people who are fleeing the war in Ukraine. During a visit to Chisinau, Minister Schreinemacher (Development Cooperation) announced on Friday that he would make extra money available for this. With the new contribution of 10 million euros, the Netherlands is helping Moldova to finance the costs of the reception.
The money is intended, among other things, for the organization of reception centers and for food, water, medical care and education for the refugees. In this way, the Netherlands is responding to the Moldovan government’s call for extra international assistance.
Relieve Pressure
Moldova has received a large number of refugees since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. Minister Schreinemacher: “We must help relieve the pressure on Moldova. The consequences of the Russian aggression in Ukraine are also being felt hard here. I saw the solidarity with refugees from Ukraine during my visit to Moldova. The people do what they can. But the country is really reaching the limits of its reception capacity.”
A large part of the refugees travels from Moldova to other countries. About 100,000 refugees, more than four percent of the population of Moldova, currently reside there. Moldova is one of the poorest countries in Europe.
Extra support
The contribution comes on top of the existing support from the Netherlands in this crisis. Humanitarian organizations of the UN and the International Red Cross, partly with Dutch contributions, provide emergency aid to the victims of the war in Ukraine, including in neighboring countries.
The Netherlands also previously supplied half a million euros in relief goods for the first reception of Ukrainians in Moldova. This enabled approximately 7,000 people to be helped with blankets, sleeping bags and tents. In addition, the Netherlands will soon receive 500 refugees from Ukraine who are currently staying in Moldova.
Minister Schreinemacher: “Ukraine and the neighboring countries deserve our support in these difficult times. We help where we can and do this together with our partners and the EU.”
This concerns both humanitarian aid and cooperation in other areas. For example, the Netherlands is helping Moldova to implement judicial reforms. “Thanks to the international support for the reception of refugees, Moldova also has more financial space to continue with the reforms that have been initiated. That is important for the development, stability and prosperity of the country,” said the minister.
Chisinau
Minister Schreinemacher was in the Moldovan capital Chisinau on Friday, where she visited the Moldexpo reception center, among other things. Moldexpo, a congress center on the outskirts of the capital, was set up to temporarily receive refugees at the start of the war in Ukraine. The minister also met Moldovan Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu and Interior Minister Ana Revenco. Subsequently, the minister talked to the representatives of the United Nations in Moldova, Simon Springett and Francisca Bonelli.