Dear President Zelenskyy,
Your excellencies,
We gathered here today to honor the courage and resolve of all Ukrainians who lost their lives to defend their homes and families, their way of living, their country, their independence.
Common mass graves, heavy destruction of residential areas, children’s playgrounds, civil facilities, shocked the entire world.
President Biden, fellow heads of states and governments,
Distinguished guests,
I am honored to address today’s Summit and to join our allies in promoting democracy as a vehicle for peace and prosperity, security and stability.
Dear Madam President Katerina Sakellaropoulou,
First of all, please accept my sincere condolences on the tragic accident that happened last night in Greece. Today, our thoughts are with you, with the Greek people, and with those who lost loved ones in this accident.
I ask you all to begin this press conference by keeping one minute of silence in memory of those who lost their lives in this tragic accident.
Dear citizens, In recent days, discussions regarding the security of our country have appeared in the public space. President Zelenskyy's statement about the Russian Federation’s plans to destabilize the Republic of Moldova were confirmed by our institutions.
Today Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilița announced the resignation of the Government. The government led by her had to deal with an overlap of crises unprecedented in the country's history. In spite of them, together, we managed to maintain peace in the Republic of Moldova, to keep our citizens safe and provide important support to the people. I thank the Prime Minister and her entire team for their immense sacrifice and effort made throughout this period.
Dear President Cassis,
President Kagame,
Distinguished audience,
Thank you for having me at the launch of the Effective Development Cooperation Summit. I am humbled to be in a room full of individuals, representing states, organizations, communities, civil society, the private sector - people who are committed to making progress in poverty reduction and human development in their respective countries and across the globe.
I am impressed by so much expertise in this room. It gives us strong hope for progress in our joint effort in fighting corruption. I would like to speak about three things today. First, fighting corruption is essential for preserving democracy. Second, political will to stop graft is very important. Third, established democracies require a rethink to deny criminals safe haven and not allow stolen funds to be used in their jurisdictions.
Presidency of the Republic of Moldova
