Chisinau, Rome agree to cooperate in managing inflow of Ukrainian refugees

CHISINAU. March 15 (Interfax) - Moldovan Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu and Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio signed an agreement on cooperation in managing the inflow of refugees from Ukraine at a meeting in Chisinau on Tuesday.

Moldova has accommodated over 100,000 refugees and expects support from other countries in managing the Ukrainian refugee crisis, Popescu said.

"We are already feeling this support, particularly from Italy. We have signed a joint statement expressing our determination to work together to provide medical, psychological, and legal assistance to the refugees," Popescu said.

Di Maio said the Italian Foreign Ministry, along with the United Nations Refugee Agency, is pursuing a project for 10 million euro in aid to Moldova to manage the crisis.

Alexandru Oprea, head of the Moldovan Interior Ministry's Inspectorate General for Emergency Situations, said on Monday that Moldova had seen the number of refugees coming from Ukraine gradually decline since March 8.

In particular, the number of Ukrainian refugees in Moldova decreased from 128,759 on March 8 to 102,836 on March 14.

Over 305,000 refugees have entered Moldova since February 24, and over 200,000 of them have traveled further to European Union countries.