Emmanuel Macron received the President of Moldova Maia Sandu at the Élysée

After 24 years, a President of Moldova is welcomed at the Elysée Palace. The new President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, elected in November 2020, is paying an official visit to Paris. She was invited by the President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron.

Ms. Sandu, 48, was elected on November 15 with 57.75% of the vote against the outgoing head of state, the pro-Russian Igor Dodon.

This former Prime Minister was sworn in before Parliament and the Constitutional Court, in the absence of Mr. Dodon and members of his party, who had decided not to participate in the ceremony.

In her inauguration speech, Maia Sandu recalled her main campaign themes: the fight against corruption and the promotion of « European integration ».

« We will cleanse the country. The thieves will be sent to jail and will not be the head of state, » she said.

Maia SANDU, President of the Republic of Moldova on the occasion of her visit to France

It is a symbolic visit by a President of the Republic of Moldova to the Elysee Palace.

The two presidents spoke to reporters. During his speech, the President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron underlined France’s support for the development of Moldova.

Emmanuel Macron: « I am very happy to welcome Madam President Maia Sandu and I am very grateful to have accepted my invitation to come to Paris only a few weeks after her inauguration. The ties that unite our two countries are deep, largely due. to a French-speaking tradition in Moldova. « 

« This particular bond which unites our two countries, I wish deeply to strengthen it. It has been 24 years since a President of Moldova had been welcomed in Paris. So, I am very happy that together we can shoot this quarter of century. I must say that your visit is not fortuitous for us. It also corresponds to a turning point that Moldova has just taken with the choice of the Moldovan people to elect at its head a courageous personality whose entirety serves as a column backbone to his entire political career and who has been fighting for years for the rule of law and against corruption. « 

« Your election is a tremendous message of hope. It is certain that the project you are carrying will require courageous reforms, a lot of ambition, tenacity and in this respect I hope that France and the European Union can accompany you with force and over time. « 

« France is ready to commit to supporting Moldova on this path. This involves supporting investment projects of French companies such as the project to renovate a railway line, which is essential for rail links between Moldova. and the EU through a stronger involvement of our operators such as AFD (Agence Française de Développement) Expertise France, infrastructure renovation, sustainable development. This also involves your will to settle the conflict in Transnistria which is an important issue for European peace and security. « 

« I would like to underline France’s unwavering support for the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity of Moldova within its internationally recognized borders and our readiness to play any useful role and help you on this path. »

Maia Sandu: « I am happy to be here today at your invitation. It is a great pleasure to be the first President of Moldova to be visiting the Elysee Palace. »

« This visit is very important for us. We hope that it will allow for a deeper collaboration between Moldova and France for the benefit of our fellow citizens. »

« The Republic of Moldova is a European state not only geographically. We are European by culture, by history, by language, but also by our democratic aspirations for fairness and the rule of law. « 

« Two thirds of our foreign trade is with EU countries. Since 2014 when we signed the Association Agreement with the EU we have taken the European course for our country. »
« This is the shortest path to democracy and prosperity. This Association Agreement allows us to bring European values ​​and standards to our home to improve people’s living standards. »

« I received a strong mandate from the citizens of Moldova to reform justice and build the rule of law. The people of my country deserve to live in a better state knowing that the law protects them and that their right to liberty is sacred. This is what I am committed to doing and I am delighted to see that France is ready to help us in this process as it has already done jointly during all these 29 years of relations Franco-Moldovan. « 

« We have felt this solidarity in the most diverse fields. France is among the 10 investors in Moldova. We want an increase in the volume of trade with France. »

« We also want more French investment in Moldova. My country is a small country strategically located between the West and the East with an attractive economic potential that I invite you to discover. »

« Today in Paris it gives me great pleasure to say that Franco-Moldovan history is also the history of people. »

« France represents a chance for quality studies for thousands of young people from Moldova. France has become a launching pad for our artists at European level and it has become a second home for tens of thousands of Moldovans, so that in Moldova also I met French people who having fallen in love with our Moldovans settled in Moldova which became their second home. « 

The Republic of Moldova is a small country of 2.9 million inhabitants located between Romania and Ukraine. On the other hand, it is a gateway to Eastern Europe between Russia and the West. Geopolitical interests have found their place there. Being a former Soviet country, the Republic of Moldova is still in Russia’s international political field. In addition, there is the Russian-American rivalry, with the United States having a military base in Romania, the largest in Eastern Europe.

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Gabriel MIHAI

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