Chisinau

Moldova will start building a pipeline that will carry Romanian natural gas to its capital city of Chisinau next spring in a bid to reduce its energy dependence on Russia, a Moldovan government official has said, AP reported on Friday.

Romania is to loan 150 million euro to Moldova to help it bolster its currency and continue work on several infrastructure projects.

The five-year loan, with a 1.5 per cent annual interest rate, was signed late on Wednesday in Chisinau, Moldova, but has to be approved by both countries' parliaments.

Bulgaria and the United Nations have signed the agreement on a development project in Taraclia, a city and adjacent region in Moldova with a predominant ethnic Bulgarian population.

Sofia's Embassy to Chisinau has provided EUR 275 000 to help improve water supply in the region, local news outlets report.

An unprecedented protest on Sunday brought together tens of thousands of people in Moldova's capital Chisinau demanding reform after a major financial scandal.

Clashes erupted between police and demonstrators and a women was hospitalized as some of the participants called in a "permanent protest", Interfax says.

"Fighting corruption, strengthening institutions and economic stability are the only way to success," Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said on Tuesday following talks with Moldovan President Nicolae Timofti in the Romanian city of Suceava.

"Moldova has a great chance that we never had at the time of [EU] accession. This chance is called Romania," he added.

Foreign Affairs Minister Bogdan Aurescu in Chisinau on Thursday participated in the 32nd meeting of the Foreign Affairs Ministers of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC), carried out under the chairmanship-in-office of the Republic of Moldova, on which occasion he showed, referring to Romania's taking over the chairmanship starting July 1, that Romania wants to continue

Prime Minister Victor Ponta has stated on Friday, to the plenum of the Parliament, that Romania needs stability in order to avoid a political crisis such as that of the Republic of Moldova.

State Secretary for European Affairs with Romania's Foreign Ministry (MAE) George Ciamba on Tuesday welcomed the Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation organisation (PA-BSEC) Asaf Hajiyev, pointing out that as BSEC chairman-in-office in the second half of 2015 Romania will support actions to increase the organisation's efficiency and visibility in

Prime Minister Victor Ponta says he has higher expectations from the bilateral relation with the Republic of Moldova than from the current Eastern Partnership Summit in Riga.

Photo credit: (c) Liviu SOVA/AGERPRES PHOTO

Romania's Prime Minister Victor Ponta and his Moldovan counterpart Chiril Gaburici on Thursday signed in Chisinau, Moldova, a memorandum of understanding between the national governments of Romania and Moldova for the conduct of projects needed for the interconnection of natural gas and electricity grids of the two countries, Moldpres reports.