Dear fellow Moldovans, Dear citizens of the Republic of Moldova from all corners of the world, Today, in our homeland, we celebrate a special occasion - the National Day of our country, the Independence Day of the Republic of Moldova.
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much for joining us today for our press conference at the end of this European Political Community Summit.
It was a pleasure to host the summit of leaders from across Europe here in Moldova, in the village of Bulboaca.
This was the first EPC gathering to be held in a non-EU country and we are so very proud to have been able to welcome everyone here.
Dear Presidents and Prime Ministers,
Dear colleagues,
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is a pleasure and an honour to be hosting so many of you here today in Moldova amidst the serene surroundings of Castel Mimi.
Dear President von der Leyen, dear Ursula, I am glad to see you again in Chisinau!
Tomorrow, 1 June, is an important day for the Republic of Moldova and for our country's friends and partners who are coming to Moldova. Tomorrow we will proudly say: Welcome, Europe, to our home!
The whole of Europe is gathering in Bulboaca - a beautiful village in our country - to discuss security, energy and a better connected and more prosperous Europe.
Since gaining independence, the Republic of Moldova has been under constant threat. For more than 30 years, our country has been subject to blackmail, embargoes, economic blockades, thefts, money laundering schemes, hybrid threats, with the aim of blocking the country's development and preventing the growth of people's welfare.
We, the citizens of the Republic of Moldova, gathered on 21 May 2023 on the Great National Assembly Square, at a decisive moment for the country's fate, in order to affirm the Republic of Moldova's aspiration to become a full member of the European Union and to contribute to this objective taking in consideration that we are European, both historically, geographically, culturally, as well as through the fundamental values we share.
Dear Moldovans – those who gathered in the Great National Assembly Square and those who came together in other capitals of the world – I'm glad that there are so many of us here today.
Let me warmly greet everyone, those in the centre of the country, those in the North of Moldova all the way to the South, those from Ocnita to Cahul.
Presidency of the Republic of Moldova
