European Commission President thanks Romania for pandemic assistance to Republic of Moldova

President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, thanked Romania today in a Twitter message for the aid offered to the Republic of Moldova under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism for combating the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the request received from the Republic of Moldova through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, Romania donated today its eastern neighbor almost two million items of personal protective equipment consisting of 1,500,000 surgical masks, 100,000 FFP3 masks, 100,000 protective suits and 100,000 surgical gloves. "Multumesc Romania/Thank you Romania," Ursula von der Leyen wrote in Romanian. "A beautiful gesture of European solidarity," the European official added. "I am deeply grateful to Romania and other EU member states. This rapid and continuous effort comes to show us that the European Union stands by the side of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova and that the EU Civil Protection Mechanism is an effective tool for providing quick help," EU ambassador in Chisinau Peter Michalko said in Romanian, as he attended today the ceremony for the public presentation of the humanitarian assistance provided by Romania. President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, also thanked Romania and said that she relies on the support of all EU countries. Also present at the the event held in the Grand National Assembly Square in Chisinau were Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu, Secretary of State Raed Arafat and ambassador Daniel Ionita. The Republic of Moldova received earlier in February a shipment of personal protective equipment and ventilators from the Czech Republic, and protective equipment and disinfectants from Austria and Poland, in 2020, the European Commission mentions. AGERPRES (RO - author: Mariana Ionescu; editor: Sorin Popescu; EN - editor: Simona Klodnischi)