By Nneka Nwogwugwu
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has promised 77 million euros (77.2 million dollars) to help Moldova cope with the fallout of the Ukraine conflict.
The conflict is ahead of a donor conference in the Romanian capital Bucharest over the weekend.
The money was to be used to cushion rising energy prices, promote renewable energies and provide for refugees that Moldova is hosting from neighbouring Ukraine.
Baerbock said the aid for the ex-Soviet republic, which bordered Ukraine and Romania, was intended as a clear signal that Europe would not allow itself to be divided.
The majority of the money, 40 million euros was to benefit private households in order to cushion drastically increased energy prices.
Some 20 million euros is to be put into the expansion of renewable energies and the promotion of efficient energy use.