Daniel Yohannes: Please be seated! Prime-minister- Filat, Foreign Minister- Leanca, Secretary – Clinton, Ministers and members of the Moldovan delegation, distinguished ambassadors, MCC board member welcome to the signing of the 262 millions dollar compact between Moldova and the US Government’s Millennium Challenge Corporation. This compact is designed to reduce poverty and to create opportunities for the Moldovan people by stimulating economic growth. Let me begin by thanking the Chair of MCC board, Secretary Clinton for her strong support of our efforts to fight global poverty. Let me also congratulate those people whose effort have made this day possible. We applaud the work of the Moldova MCC teams lead respectably by Valentina Badrajan and Chris Williams. Your hard work will benefit the people of Moldova, today and in to the future. We are united in a short drive to deliver results. The compact we signed today is more than words in paper. It is an action plan to achieve the goals Moldovans have identified for their economic development. For this plan to succeed it also requires a policy environment that promotes good governance, respect the rule of law and champions of the liberties and economic freedom. It needs a government committed to investing in people and sanding up to corruption. The Moldova MCC partnership, which reflects the friendly ties between Moldova and US will invest in 2 keys sectors: agriculture and transportation.
First, the transition to high value agriculture project will increase the income of Moldovan farmers. In a country were more than 40% of the populations are employed in the agriculture and agro business, investing in this sector means investing in the back bond of the Moldovan economy. This project will rebuild irrigation infrastructure and infra management in operation to farmers. It will provide access to finance, to drive investments in agriculture products. It will help farmers transition to high value crops and compete in markets.
Second, the road rehabilitation project, will improve 93comodors of a major transport corridor which will reduce costs and promote covers. Moldovan Compact provides a comprehensive approach to economic growth by including reforms and how the water is managed and how the roads are maintained. The Compact is a way to leverage the private sector. This Compact build on a partnership between MCC and the US agencies for international development to help Moldova achieve its development goalsFinally, the Compact offers a solution for reducing poverty and increases agricultural activities, promote for security and provides access to markets by safer roads.
Mr. Prime-minister, I praise you and your follows citizens of Moldova MSS Compact. What matters now is implementation, to execute the project with transparency, accountability and results. This is the first MCC Compact I will sigh as MCCCO. Mr. Prime-minister, I want you to know that it will have a very special place in my heart. I am pleased this agreement focuses on what we need for sustainable growth, innovation and results. Mr. Prime-minister will be watching the developments with great interests. Let us together to create opportunities for the people of Moldova to chart a better future for themselves and their families. Honor guests, ladies and gentlemen, it is now my pleasure to introduce the Chair of MCC Board, Secretary of State – Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Hillary Rodham Clinton: Thank you very much Daniel for that introduction! And I know that this very first Compact signing for you will have a special place in your heart and I dont want to increase the pressure on Moldova, but, I think the Chairman CO is going be paying very close attention to how well we do together. I want to recognize and thank the Prime-minister and Foreign Minister who have already bean acknowledged and also our ambassador to the Republic of Moldova, ambassador Chaudhry thank you for being here and for your good work on behalf of our efforts in Moldova. I know that we have the North Caroline Secretary of State- Elaine Marshall, who is here. Is Elena here? There you are! I was looking for you Elaine. North Caroline has a strong partnership with the government and people of Moldova and were delighted that youd come up for this occasion. And, all of you thank you for being here, for this historic event, the signing of the Millennium Challenge Corporation Compact.
You know, since 2004 MCC has worked with countries all over the world, to help millions escape the gap of poverty with governments so that they have more capacity to deliver services to their people, to provide the kind of technical assistance that would go for the long term in a way that governments conducted their business transparently with accountability free form corruption. Through the MCC, the US has provided over 7 billion dollars to national governments, committed to good governance economic trade and investments and the helping of the wellbeing their people. The Country led MCC framework empowers nation to chart their own pats to progress. Each country has to identify its barriers to progress, has to craft solutions to overcome these barriers has to implement the programs that will move the country toward economic growth. In the last 5 years, over 40 MCC Compact countries have build schools, roads, hospitals, and made many other investments in infrastructure that are providing a solid foundation for future prosperities. And today I am pleased that we are able to add Moldova to that growing list.
This is the final step of a journey that begun in 2005, when Moldova became part of the MCC Threshol Program. As a threshold country had to undertake a series of reform before it could become eligible for a MCC Compact. Working with MCC and our partners at USAID, the government implemented legal reforms to carp corruption, introduce budgetary requirements that promoted transparency and strengthen the capacity of civil society and the media to report on crime. And in that period, Moldova made significant progress, economically, socially and politically. And we are very pleased that this day has come. We applaud the people of Moldova and their leaders for embracing a reform agenda. We know it was not easy, we know that it came at political costs, but it was so important because it has established a democratic Moldova, that has for the first time a democratically elected Prime-minister in 8 years. So, this agreement begins a new chapter in the relationship between our 2 countries and reflects our commitment to help put the people of Moldova on the road of economic progress. And that is little, because as Daniel pointed out, we will go to build roads with this money. We will also be rehabilitating irrigation systems, helping farmers transition to high value agriculture that has real market quality inside the Europe and beyond and building those safe roads from Chisinau to the Ukrainian border so that the farmers can get their goods to market. These are essential steps and we will work with you and support you as you proceed. The Obama administration is committed to building partnership, boarding it and strengthening it and seeing the people of Moldova reap the benefits of market reform, political reform and all of the efforts that have been undertaken in the last years.
So, Prime-minister Filat today signing is a victory for governance, human rights and economic reform. We want Moldova to be part of the euro Atlantic alliance with all the benefits it will bring the Moldovan people. So, I congratulate you, your government and your people for your ongoing commitment and I wish you every success in the implementation of this compact. And I thank all of you for being here for this important milestone. Now please join me in welcoming his Excellency, Prime-minister Filat to the podium.
Vlad Filat: Excelență, Dnă Secretar de Stat, Hillary Clinton, Onorată Asistență, pentru mine este o onoare să fiu astăzi aici și să particip la acest eveniment cu adevărat istoric pentru țara mea. A fost un drum pe care l-am parcurs și acest drum nu a fost deloc ușor. Republica Moldova în scurta sa istorie, de la proclamarea independenței a avut evenimente tragice de parcurs. Am avut să înfruntăm și continuăm să avem această situație ce ține de separatism, presiuni externe, guvernări autoritare. Însă, după cum am demonstrat, cetățenii RM și-au dorit și își doresc să trăiască într-o țară liberă, fiind guvernați democratic. Procesele în care ne-am angajat sunt complicate, dar necesare pentru țara noastră. Prioritățile noastre sunt: edificarea unui stat de drept, stat care să ofere drepturi și să asigure libertăți cetățenilor săi; economie funcțională, reintegrarea țării și procesul de integrare europeană. Toate aceste procese necesită efort, însă, totodată, necesită și suport din partea partenerilor și prietenilor noștri sinceri. Trebuie să recunosc că din momentul în care am ajuns în SUA am dormit foarte puțin. Însă din momentul în care am ajuns în SUA am avut impresia că visez cu ochii deschiși și am în continuare un vis frumos pe care mi l-am dorit atât de mult.
Am întâlnit foarte mulți prieteni pentru Moldova, sinceri nu declarativi. Am avut o experiență deosebită în Carolina de Nord și promit că voi mai veni. Acțiunea de astăzi în consecință nu reprezintă doar drumuri moderne și agricultură performantă pentru RM. Pentru țara mea acest lucru înseamnă în primul rînd un mesaj puternic de sprijin în calea de reformare a țării, care este atît de necesar la această etapă de dezvoltare. Această acțiune de astăzi demonstrează că pentru a fi prieteni și pentru a putea ajuta nu este necesar să fii foarte aproape unul de altul și că distanța nu este un obstacol. Eu în numele meu personal, în numele guvernului, în numele cetățenilor RM țin să aduc mulțumiri sincere Excelență guvernului SUA, poporului american pentru sprijinul constant și pentru atitudinea de care dați dovadă pentru țara mea. Și țin să vă asigur că fiecare dolar acordat în cadrul acestui proiect, își va regăsi locul în investiții care să aducă beneficiu cetățenilor RM . Și în sfîrșit, țin să vă mai mulțumesc o dată. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
