In an exclusive interview with CNN on Sunday (6), Moldova’s prime minister, Natalia Gavrilita, called on the international community to intervene in the issue of Ukrainian refugees, who are leaving the country by the thousands.
“We are seeing an extraordinary humanitarian crisis. About 230,000 people crossed the Moldovan border from Ukraine, and about 120,000 chose to stay. And 96,000 are Ukrainian citizens,” Gavrilita said.
This number represents 4% of the entire population of Moldova, which has 2.6 million inhabitants. “One in eight children in Moldova is now a refugee. The prime minister strongly condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and added that her country’s government was doing its best to support refugees, but its capacity is limited.
“We wouldn’t have been able to handle this massive influx if it weren’t for the extraordinary solidarity of the people. At least three quarters of refugees are with families. Many Ukrainians have friends or relatives in Moldova, but ordinary people also end up welcoming Ukrainian families and inviting them into their homes,” said Gavrilita.
She called on the European Union to create corridors to help refugees move to other countries and issued a warning. “After only 10 days of war, we are on edge. I think the flow of refugees is greater and faster than forecasts indicated,” said the head of state.
On Sunday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken assured Moldova that the US supports the country’s aspirations to join the European Union, but that the process will be decided by the countries’ organization.
Moldova formally applied on Thursday (3) to join the European Union. The move is likely to anger Moscow, which has around 1,500 troops based in the breakaway Transnistrian region of eastern Moldovan.
Blinken said the US is providing $18 million over the next few years to “strengthen and diversify” the country’s energy sector. Moldova relies heavily on Russian gas.
“The independence [energética] and energy security are really critical to maintaining sovereignty and independence,” said the Secretary of State.
Source: CNN Brasil
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