Moldova thanks UN for assistance in Ukrainian refugee crisis

BUCHAREST, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Moldovan President Maia Sandu on Tuesday thanked the United Nations (UN) for its assistance to her country to address the refugee crisis and the full impact of the conflict in Ukraine.

Sandu met with visiting UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday in Chisinau, capital of Moldova, discussing joint efforts to help Ukrainian refugees in Moldova and ways to address the impact of the conflict on Moldova's economy, according to Sandu's Twitter page.

Recalling the direct financial assistance extended by the UN to the Ukrainian refugees and the Moldovan families who host them, Sandu said that the aid will soon reach all those who need it, as assured by Guterres.

Sandu and Guterres also discussed the new UN-Republic of Moldova Partnership Framework (UNPF) for the next five years that "will contribute to improving the living conditions of citizens."

In Guterres' meeting late on Monday with Moldovan Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita, the issue of Transnistria, a breakaway region of Moldova that borders Ukraine, was also on the agenda.

Gavrilita stressed that Chisinau counts on the UN's support in the peaceful settlement of the Transnistrian conflict, while Guterres called on the international community to respect Moldova's territorial integrity.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Moldova's accession to the United Nations.