18 Nov 2022 16:58

Moldovan president starts talking about crisis with consequences beyond national capacity to cope

CHISINAU. Nov 18 (Interfax) - Moldova has found itself in crisis, Moldovan President Maia Sandu said.

"The crisis faced by Moldova is so severe that its consequences are beyond our nation's capacity to cope with it," Sandu said on Friday as new Economy Minister Dumitru Alaiba and new Environmental Protection Minister Rodica Iordanov were sworn in.

"Still, we are here not just to put out fires. We are here to put the country on the right track. We should take an effort to transform the country into a viable democracy based on the principles of a law-governed state and equipped with functional state institutions," Sandu said.

She reaffirmed the need for effective judiciary reform.

"Corruption and group interests are not gone. We can still see cases of intimidation of businesses, in particular, by prosecutors and other government agencies. We have suspicions about a selective approach to the investigation of systemic corruption. We should be more resolute in investigating the activity of criminal groups that took over the country in the past, and in seizing their assets. These groups cannot be allowed to undermine the stability and security of the country," Sandu said.

In turn, Moldovan Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita said that the government reshuffle would continue. The government work on this needs to accelerate in certain areas, she said.

"We have managed to cope with several overlapping crises over the past 15 months. Now we should focus on a number of key sectors to get through this winter and secure Moldova's position in the European family," Gavrilita said.