Moldova, Romania sign agreement on 150 million euros reimbursable loan

Chisinau, 7 October /MOLDPRES/ - The agreement on the refundable credit between the governments of Romania and Moldova was signed at the Chisinau International Airport Official Delegations Hall this morning.

The document was signed by Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign and European Integration Minister Natalia Gherman and Romanian Public Finance Minister Eugen Orlando Teodorovici.

The Romanian government will offer Moldova financial assistance worth 150 million euros as budget support. The first tranche of 60 million euros will be paid this year. The credit will be offered for a period of five years and at the interest rate of 1.5 per cent annually.

"Today we completed a previously announced process, in the context of the reimbursable financial support the Romanian government offers to the Moldovan government to cover the current budget deficit and ensure the sustainability of development projects. Personally I am satisfied that we managed to have a prompt and constructive dialogue, we managed to quickly overcome certain fears and speculations on the prospect of signing this agreement", Prime Minister Valeriu Strelet said.

"It is a difficult period that Moldova undergoes from the financial and budgetary standpoint, until the moment it will have an agreement with the international financial institutions – International Monetary Fund, World Bank and the European Commission – as we had in the past years. I think it is the duty and especially in the power of Romania that, in a difficult moment, be the first to say 'yes, we are here, we can support and we give you this repayable loan, again, in very advantageous conditions", Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta previously said.

(Reporter V. Bercu, Editor A. Raileanu)