Romania to provide Moldova with 500,000 masks, 50,000 overalls to fight COVID-19

Chisinau, 30 April /MOLDPRES/ - Romania will provide Moldova with 500,000 masks and 50,000 overalls for fighting COVID-19. At the same time, a mission made up of 51 people, of whom 41 physicians, today came to Moldova to help the employees of the medical system.  

The Romanian mission was accompanied in Moldova by a governmental delegation led by Foreign Affairs Minister Bogdan Aurescu. The Romanian diplomacy head is accompanied by National Defence Minister Nicolae-Ionel Ciuca and State Secretary at the Interior Ministry Raed Arafat.   

The event on the delivery of the assistance and introducing the team of physicians took place outside the Republican Clinical Hospital. Attending the action were Health, Labour and Social Protection Minister Viorica Dumbraveanu and the Moldovan diplomacy head, Oleg Tulea.  

The health minister said that the aid provided by Romania was coming in the context of a complicated situation not only Moldova, but also the entire world. ‘’The COVID-19 pandemic represents a challenge at the world level and has not avoided our countries too. It disturbed the life of both states, but also generated feelings of empathy. We daily see and feel the aspect of the society’s solidarity with the medical system. And the gesture made by the Romanian people is of great value and comes from heart to heart, in order to save destinies. You are the first-line heroes, you save lives,’’ Dumbraveanu said.     

Romanian Foreign Affairs Minister Bogdan Aurescu said that the government of Romania today would rule on the providing of a 3.5-million-euros-worth assistance to Moldova. Aurescu noted that he had given diplomatic passports to the physicians from the today’s mission in Moldova, as they are ambassadors of health.   

Foreign Affairs and European Integration Minister Oleg Tulea thanked the Romanian side for the support provided to Moldova during the last years. He specified that Romania had provided support for the Chisinau authorities also in the process of Moldovan citizens’ repatriation.  

Secretary of State at the Interior Ministry of Romania, head of the Department for Emergency Situations Raed Arafat said that there were physicians willing to help in Moldova. ‘’In two days, the list became full and there were other people willing to come to Moldova. People wished to come here,’’ Arafat said.   

A medical team from Romania, made up of 41 physicians and medical assistants and ten drivers, 51 people in all, today came to Moldova, where they will work by the side of local medical staff who fight against the COVID-19 pandemic during 15 days.

The agenda of Romania’s Foreign Affairs Minister Bogdan Aurescu in Chisinau includes meetings with Prime Minister Ion Chicu and Foreign Affairs and European Integration Minister Oleg Tulea. At the meetings due at the government and the Foreign Affairs and European Integration Ministry, the sides are to discuss prospects for the development of the Moldovan-Romanian relations, based on the strategic partnership between the two states, as well as the cooperation in the management of the crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.