The heads of French diplomacy Jean-Yves Le Drian and German Annalena Baerbock said on Friday they were determined to support Moldova, a former Soviet republic neighboring Ukraine, in the face of the “risks of destabilization” it faces.
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“The ministers discussed the European response to the war in Ukraine and discussed the continuation and deepening of the support provided to this country,” said the spokesperson for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“The two ministers also discussed the situation in Moldova and their joint determination to support it in the face of the risks of its destabilization,” added Anne-Claire Legendre.
The pro-Russian separatist region of Transdniestria in Moldova was rocked this week by a series of explosions, raising fears of an overflow in this country of the conflict which is ravaging neighboring Ukraine.
France declared on Tuesday to support Moldova in the face of “the risks of destabilization” and reiterated its “support for the territorial integrity” of this country.
Mr. Le Drian and Ms. Baerbock also spoke of the “threats to food security” due to the war in Ukraine, one of the world’s major cereal producers.
They “reaffirmed their commitment to provide assistance to countries in need”, within the framework of the French presidency of the Council of the European Union – in the first half of 2022 – and the German presidency of the G7.
The global food crisis, exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, could push 10 million people around the world into poverty, according to Washington.
Russia and Ukraine are the world’s leading and fifth largest exporters of wheat respectively, accounting for 30% of global supply on their own.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, tons of grain have remained docked in Ukrainian ports such as Mariupol, a city bombarded and besieged by the Russian army for its strategic position.