Germany: Merkel welcomes and expresses support for new Moldovan PM

M/S Moldovan Prime Minister Maia Sandu exiting car and shaking hands with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Berlin
M/S Sandu shaking hands with German officials
M/S Sandu and Merkel walking
M/S Sandu and Merkel sitting down during anthem
W/S Military orchestra
M/S Military orchestra
M/S Military orchestra
M/S Military orchestra
M/S Sandu and Merkel walking
M/S Military greeting Sandu and Merkel
SOT, Angela Merkel, German Chancellor (German): "I believe that now we have a government in office that is steering a pro-European course and that is determined to pursue a course that aims to make politics for the people of the country, to fight corruption, and to set up honest and transparent institutions."
W/S Press conference *CUTAWAY*
SOT, Angela Merkel, German Chancellor (German): "Of course we are delighted to see that with Maia Sandu, pro-European forces are again leading the country, and of course we have recognised the increasing corruption in the last few years, and the dimensions she described are a big challenge for the work of the government and of course this is not really simple."
M/S Sandu and Merkel during press conference *CUTAWAY*
SOT, Angela Merkel, German Chancellor (German): "I heard that there is a general feeling of Moldovans enjoying a sense of freedom, of making a fresh start, they are able and happy to speak their mind and we want to support that."
M/S Sandu and Merkel during press conference *CUTAWAY*
SOT, Maia Sandu, Moldovan Prime Minister: "Unfortunately, previous governments in Moldova were more interested in personal gain rather than in building functional institutions. From Europe's success story we became Europe's grey area, ran from the shadows by an oligarch with pervasive human rights violations, theft from government-owned companies, money laundering and corruption."
C/U Merkel on camera screen *CUTAWAY*
SOT, Maia Sandu, Moldovan Prime Minister: "We have a difficult task ahead. We fought against an oppressive regime and stopped Moldova's free fall. But now we need to rebuild our state and restore the trust of our citizens and of our strategic partners."
M/S Photographers *CUTAWAY*
SOT, Maia Sandu, Moldovan Prime Minister: "We will no longer just say that we are Europeans, we want to change Moldova from within, so that we could be accepted in the EU, as a confident member with functional, democratic institutions."
M/S Sandu and Merkel shaking hands
M/S Sandu and Merkel leaving press conference
SCRIPT
German Chancellor Angela Merkel received the recently elected Moldovan Prime Minister Maia Sandu in Berlin on Tuesday.
Merkel and Sandu remained seated during the welcoming ceremony. This is the second time in a week that the German chancellor has sat for the national anthem after a series of shaking bouts.
After listening to the military orchestra, the two leaders gave a joint press conference during which Merkel hailed the new Moldovan government.
"I believe that now we have a government in office that is steering a pro-European course and that is determined to pursue a course that aims to make politics for the people of the country, to fight corruption, and to set up honest and transparent institutions," said Merkel.
She added that they are "delighted to see that with Maia Sandu, pro-European forces are leading the country."
Maia Sandu deplored the previous governments in her country, saying that they were "were more interested in personal gain rather than in building functional institutions."
She expressed her willingness to change Moldova "from within, so that we could be accepted in the EU, as a confident member with functional, democratic institutions."
Moldova’s new government took office on June 8, following a coalition deal between the Socialist Party and the pro-EU group ACUM led by Maia Sandu, which led to the ousting of the ruling Democratic Party of oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc.