Moldovan govt to ask parliament to extend state of emergency for another 60 days

CHISINAU. July 27 (Interfax) - The Moldovan government decided at a meeting on Wednesday to submit a request to the parliament to extend the nationwide state of emergency for another 60 days starting August 8.

A state of emergency was first declared in Moldova on February 24, was then extended twice for 60 days, and then for another 45 days on June 22.

Motivating its proposal for extending the state of emergency on Wednesday, the government mentioned the persisting risks to the country's energy security, border security, and the need to continue managing flows of refugees from Ukraine.

Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita said the risks posed to Moldova by the ongoing hostilities in Ukraine remain high. "High risks are persisting also in terms of the flows of refugees and the flows of goods. The same concerns the energy sector, as all of us have seen not very good news on gas supplies to Europe [a reduction in the amount of gas pumped via the Nord Stream gas pipeline]. A hard period is continuing, but we are doing everything possible to make sure that all these crises are overcome," Gavrilita said.