OREANDA-NEWS. April 15, 2014. Switzerland will double the amount of financial assistance provided to Moldova in the next four years. The finances will increase „significantly, up to 46 million euros”, against 24 million euros invested in Moldovan-Swiss projects in 2010-2013.

The health protection and drinking water providing are the priority sectors of cooperation between Switzerland and Moldova. The Swiss Development and Cooperation Agency (SDC) launched Switzerland’s Cooperation Strategy for Moldova 2014-2017, in Chisinau.

„The new strategy voices Switzerland’s commitment to further back reforms in Moldova and represents a deepening of the ties between the two states,” Swiss Ambassador to Moldova and Ukraine Christian Schoenenberger said. „This is a proof of Switzerland’s will to remain in Moldova for long time,” Schoenenberger added.

Under the new strategy, the Swiss government will further support reforms in the health area, especially the development of emergency paediatric assistance service and youth friendly health centres in the regions. The strategy also sees enhancing support for non-transmissible diseases prevention system and integration of the mental health services into the primary medical assistance.

„The results gained in the mother’s and child’s health sector and drinking water supply to people of the Moldovan rural settlements in 2010-2013 motivated us to set more ambitious goals,” the head of Division Commonwealth of Independent States at SDC Switzerland, Santi Vege, said.

Autonomous drinking water systems and ecological sanitary installations were built with Swiss support. Environment Minister Gheorghe Salaru said Switzerland „is the leader in the sector of assistance for water and sewerage systems in Moldova projects.”

The new strategy also regards the development of the potential of the migration phenomenon on Moldova’s economic development. „As migrants want to invest into their native settlements, the priorities set in the Swiss strategy perfectly meet Moldova’s regional development priorities,” the head of the Bureau for Relations with Diaspora, Victor Lutenco, said.

Moldova has been benefiting from the Swiss assistance since 2000. The Swiss Development and Cooperation Agency implements the Swiss development policy in over 50 de state worldwide, meant to promote sustainable development and poverty reduction.