Iurie Leancă

Prime Minister Iurie Leanca today received the highest award of the World Health Organisation for the achievements in the field of tobacco control. WHO Regional Director for Europe Zsuszanna Jakab offered the prize, consisting of a medal and certificate of appreciation.  

Leanca thanked for this distinction, which represents an encouragement and recognition of the efforts Chisinau-based authorities are making. At the same time, the prime minister said that promoting a healthy lifestyle was a priority for the Moldovan authorities. "It is important to take over the expertise and best practices of Western countries in the field of health, and European integration also includes a healthy lifestyle, high quality water and better living conditions," said the official.

For her part, Zsuszanna Jakab congratulated Iurie Leanca for his achievements in the fight against smoking. "You achieved great results and personally contributed to conferring a very high importance to tobacco control on the political agenda," said the WHO regional director for Europe.

The officials also agreed to continue cooperation in health care.

Prime Minister Iurie Leanca is among the 37 people awarded in the world: representatives of governments, institutions or organisations that registered progress in the fight against smoking. Only five people received this distinction in the European region.

The World Health Organisation gives awards to personalities from around the world who have been active in tobacco control every year. The award has been given since 1988.

The government, led by Iurie Leanca, approved an unprecedented decision for Moldova on tobacco control on 17 December 2013. The draft bans smoking in enclosed and semi-enclosed public places, at work and in public transport and introduce penalties both for the managers of these areas where smoking is prohibited, and for smokers. http://www.gov.md/libview.php?l=ro&idc=436&id=7116

Shortly thereafter, Prime Minister Iurie Leanca launched a campaign against smoking. The prime minister appeared in a video spot encouraging people to quit smoking and warning about the dangerous effects of tobacco on health. Iurie Leanca warned that Moldova reached the fourth place in Europe with regard to the number of smokers, with nearly 750,000 nicotine dependent citizens. http://www.gov.md/libview.php?l=ro&idc=436&id=7179

Moldovan and Romanian Prime Ministers Iurie Leanca and, respectively, Victor Ponta, visited the Porumbeni village, southern Cantemir district, in order to see the way the works on construction of a local kindergarten were carried out. The total budget is of 8.8 million lei, of which 6 million is Romania’s contribution.

The kindergarten’s capacity is of three groups - 90 children. The children will be transferred to the new institution in one month at the latest.

„This effort to modernise the preschool institutions will change the realities in the Moldovan villages and towns, and will make the people’s life easier, as a village where there is a kindergarten is a living village. Besides, a kindergarten means a solid base for our future, as educational basis of a personality is put here, and our goal is to edify a society of professionals, cultivated and educated,” Leanca said.

Leanca also highlighted the fact that, a month and a half ago, on 27 August, together with Victor Ponta, he visited the Marinici village, central-western Nisporeni district, in order to see the works of building another kindergarten.

„I congratulate the Moldovan government, as it is a serious partner. I believe in Moldova’s European path, I believe in Moldova’s development objectives. And, if we make beautiful things in Romania, we want to do something nice on the other bank of Prut too. In this respect, we ruled to earmark another three million euros for kindergartens,” Victor Ponta said.

Subsequently, the officials made a tour of the new building and took pictures with children and their parents. Presently, the kindergarten is located in a building that does not comply with the conditions necessary for a preschool.

The Romanian government has provided 20 million euros to modernise the Moldovan kindergartens. The amount will be invested in 859 preschools, of which 130 will get goods, whereas the others will be restored. The money will be used to endow kindergartens with furniture, fully repair buildings and roofs, change doors and windows, arrange the playgrounds, pavement works, and repair or construct the heating, sewerage and drinking water supply systems.

Prime Minister Iurie Leanca today attended the ceremony dedicated to the departure of the forty National Army soldiers – Moldova’s second contingent – to the Kosovo Force (KFOR) peacekeeping operation.

The prime minister wished farewell to the soldiers deployed in the peacekeeping mission. According to Iurie Leanca, this mission "is an example of peace-building in Europe, and a chance to contribute to international security for Moldova."

At the same time, Iurie Leanca said that the government would support the National Army’s effort to develop the peacekeeping potential. "The fact that Moldovan soldiers were accepted into the UN mission together with Italian partners is proof of the fact that we are able to get to the stage of international security provider with professionalism and dignity", concluded Iurie Leanca.

Defence Minister Valeriu Troenco, US Ambassador William H. Moser, Italian Ambassador Enrico Nunziata, representatives of the civilian and military diplomat corps, as well as the families of officers and non-commissioned officers deployed in the operation also attended the event.

Defence Minister Valeriu Troenco, expressed confidence that the military staff deployed in the mission in Kosovo would meet the requirements of the mission because they had the necessary training - they proved this within various training exercises in Moldova and abroad, where they were appreciated as a professional, highly trained force and able to perform a vast range of missions.

The American and Italian ambassadors congratulated the Moldovan soldiers. The diplomats said that Moldova's participation in peacekeeping missions would enable the National Army to consolidate its capacities and increase interoperability with other nations.

Later, the soldiers marched and were watched by officials and relatives. Prime Minister Iurie Leanca also spoke to the relatives of the soldiers.

The forty soldiers will operate for six months in the Camp Vilaggio Italy multinational military base, deployed in the town of Pech, Kosovo. The decision to deploy the National Army to the KFOR mission was approved by the parliament on 1 November 2013.

Prime Minister Iurie Leanca today attended the closing of the sixth issue of the Diaspora Congress held in Moldova on September 1-3.

The result of the congress is the working out of a Diaspora-Government joint action plan, with two main objectives: ensuring the rights of Moldovans in the countries where they live and their involvement in the development of Moldova.

The prime minister appreciated the development of this joint action plan. "You managed to capture the attention of society and public officials not only on the problems you face, but the country's problems as well. This is an additional element of mobilisation", said the prime minister.

Iurie Leanca said the government would help the Moldovan Diaspora, especially children, to maintain identity. Other objectives pointed out by the prime minister were improving consular services and social protection, as well as implementation of programmes that would help bring back Moldovans working abroad.

The prime minister urged the latter to submit concrete projects for the first Diaspora Business Forum, which will bring together 120 representatives of the business environment from Moldova and abroad, born in Moldova.

The Diaspora-Government Joint Action Plan was developed based on nine workshops held within the Congress and is at the project phase for the time being.

The plan’s objectives are ensuring the right to vote of Moldovan citizens living abroad, facilitating the process of getting and recognising the civil status documents and other types of documents, facilitating the right to quality education for all Moldovan children, regardless of the place of residence, national identity preservation and promoting Moldova's image abroad, supporting the European course of the country, as well as enhancing the involvement of the Diaspora the country’s development.

Representatives of ministries and associations from the Diaspora will finalise the document.

The 2014 issue of the Moldovan Diaspora Congress was attended by over 145 fellow countrymen from 28 countries, who are leaders of associations, representatives of the Diaspora initiative groups, independent delegates, citizens who returned and representatives of public institutions in charge of the Diaspora, and international organisations. The event was organised by the Diaspora Relations Bureau. The next congress will be held in two years.