A friends of Moldova meeting will take place in Berlin next week, Italy's foreign minister Luigi Di Maio said on Wednesday, noting that the large number of refugees it has been hosting since Russia invaded Ukraine in late February has put huge pressure on its economy.
Italy and France will chair an energy working group at the Berlin meeting next Tuesday, Di Maio noted.
Moldova "does not only need infrastructure but also know-how to handle to the energy challenge," he said.
"It already experienced a crisis before the war in Ukraine, as a result of the dynamics with Russia," said Di Maio.
The former Soviet republic, which applied for European membership a week after Russia launched its full-scale military offensive in Ukraine, does not have the wearwithal to handle the refugee influx, Di Maio said.
Moldova is a major host country for Ukrainian refugees, where over 387,000 have arrived since the conflict began with Russia.
