OREANDA-NEWS. January 29, 2007. The Economics and Trade Ministry will promote a draft decision on starting the construction of a passenger port in Giurgiulesti, south of Moldova, reported the Official website http://gov.md.

Premier Vasile Tarlev gave instructions to this effect at a today's meeting with government officials on the implementation of a portfolio of investment projects in the Giurgiulesti area, according to the executive's press service.

During the meeting, Economics and Trade Minister and manager of the concerned projects on behalf of the government Igor Dodon has said that the Giurgiulesti-based oil terminal is functional already, and oil products imported by sea began to be sold in Moldova.

Concomitantly, activities on designing a freight and passenger port from the southern region of Moldova have started. A railway segment Cahul-Giurgiulesti is constructed in order to ensure access to the port. Under the agreement on investments, the necessary energy infrastructure will be built in the port's area.

Prime Minister Vasile Tarlev highlighted the importance to successfully implement the whole portfolio of the approved investment projects. This will create real premises to achieve a leap in the development of the national economy by increasing the export of Moldovan goods, as well as by stabilising the prices on the domestic market of products - oil products, cereals etc. According to the investment agreement, the terminal and port will contribute to the creation of new jobs.

The head of the executive asked to speed up the construction of the necessary infrastructure for the efficient functioning of the oil terminal at its full potential.

Following an instruction by the premier, the Culture and Tourism Ministry in concert with other competent bodies will undertake measures to launch tourism routes by sea.

At the same time, the prime minister emphasized the importance to meet the deadline of constructing the railway segment Giurgiulesti-Cah ul within the fixed period.

The Moldovan government signed an investment agreement for the implementation of a portfolio of projects in the southern region of Moldova in early 2005. The investor committed to complete the construction of the Giurgiulesti-based oil terminal with a capacity of two million tons of oil per year, to construct a freight and passenger port nearby, open 50 fuel filling stations and create about 3,000 new jobs. All the investments are estimated at about 250 million dollars.