Foreign Affairs on March 1–14, 2006

Republic of Moldova — Council of Europe

The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe has approved a new interim resolution on execution of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) judgment on the “Ilascu and others versus the Republic of Moldova and the Russian Federation” case. The document insists on execution of the ECHR judgment and release of Andrei Ivantoc and Tudor Petrov-Popa, who are illegally imprisoned by the Tiraspol authorities.

On March 7, the ECHR started public hearings on the case “Manole and other versus Moldova” which admissibility is being examined with the participation of representatives of petitioners and their lawyers and representatives of the Government. The case includes Larisa Manole, Corina Fusu, Mircea Surdu, Dinu Rusnac, Viorica Cucereanu-Bogatu, Angela Arama-Leahu, Ludmila Vasilache, Leonid Melnic and Diana Donica, former employees of the TeleRadio-Moldova Company. These applicants complain of the violation of Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights (freedom of expression). The ECHR has ordered the Moldovan authorities to answer some questions by March 21, 2006.

The co-rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) for Moldova, Josette Durrieu and Egidijus Vareikis, arrived in Chisinau on March 12 for a working visit. They will meet with the Moldovan authorities, representatives of parliamentary factions, public associations. It should be noted that the outcome of last visit of rapporteurs has served as ground for adoption of the October 2005 PACE Resolution and Recommendations on functioning of democratic institutions in Moldova, and the Parliament has adopted a special legislative programme on implementation of recommendations under their impact. The rapporteurs met first with representatives of parliamentary factions who appreciated the interest of the Council of Europe and favourable for promotion of reforms, saying that the continued monitoring of Moldova does not have negative effects. Representatives of the parliamentary opposition told the rapporteurs that they want more serious effects of reforms, their promotion in areas of immediate major impact. The PACE rapporteurs told a meeting with Prime Minister Vasile Tarlev that Moldova must do its best at the current stage in order to implement the institutional reforms, to obtain progress in the area of functioning of democratic institutions, having a decisive contribution to promotion of the international image of the country.

Republic of Moldova — European Union

The Republic of Moldova will negotiate with the European Union (E.U.) this year the awarding of a regime of Autonomous Preferences for a series of products exported by our country. These actions represent a priority for the Ministry of Economy and Trade in 2006. Moldova wants a more advantageous regime, but it must reform the system of certification of origin of exported goods and consolidate the customs management. Statistics show that Moldova exported goods worth about 325 million dollars in 2005, by 9.5 percent more than in 2004. However, it should be noted that the imports from the E.U. have grown by 29 percent compared with 2004, up to over 750 million dollars.

The European Commission has said in a statement that it is following closely developments on the border between Moldova and Ukraine, with the E.U. Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine being present on the ground and constantly monitoring the situation. The Commission appreciates the determination with which Moldova and Ukraine are putting in place the necessary measures to implement the Joint Declaration on customs matters that Prime Ministers Yekhanurov and Tarlev issued on 30 December 2005. The Commission notes that the purpose of these measures is to ensure transparency of border operations, allowing any legitimate goods to pass the border between Moldova and Ukraine freely. These measures do not in any way constitute a “blockade”. The Commission condemns any efforts by the self-proclaimed Transnistrian authorities to hamper the legitimate movement of goods across the Moldovan — Ukrainian State border and to impede registration of economic operators with the Moldovan authorities.

Republic of Moldova — Romania

Representatives of Romania have told a meeting of environment ministers from member states of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) Organisation that they will support the Republic of Moldova in accomplishing its European environment protection objectives. Romania has offered the set of European environment directives translated into Romanian to the environment authorities of Moldova.

Republic of Moldova — Russian Federation

The State Duma of the Russian Federation adopted on March 10 a declaration on the implementation of the new customs regime at the Moldovan-Ukrainian border, saying that the actions of the authorities of the two states “seriously harm the economy of Transnistria and they could develop into a humanitarian catastrophe,” and describing them as “economic sanctions”. Russian lawmakers consider that “the rights of Transnistria to hold an independent economic activity are violated” this way and call for the “restoration of the precedent customs regime at the Ukrainian-Transnistrian border,” inviting all the interested sides “to support negotiations and consultations.”

The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry commented to mass media the conclusions of the visit of a Russian delegation to Moldova’s breakaway enclave of Transnistria. Mikhail Kalminin said that the “stricter customs regime at the Moldovan-Ukrainian border was introduced immediately after the ministerial meeting of the E.U. Troika with Ukraine.” He claimed that these measures “have been planned as a political measure of economic influence of the region from the very beginning.”

Valery Keniaikin, special envoy of the Russian Foreign Ministry, said that Russia “will do its best in order to relieve the situation in Transnistria,” because the region “faces the danger of a humanitarian catastrophe.” He promised that the Russian Federation will help “its citizens who reside Transnistria, as well as other residents of the region by providing them the necessary humanitarian aid.” Answering question about granting of financial assistance to the Transnistrian authorities, the Russian official said that the Russian government is considering such a possibility and it will pass a necessary decision. Keniaykin noted that a meeting is scheduled for April which “will examine political issues related to the negotiations on settlement of the Transnistrian problem.” Some statements of the Russian official regarding recent declarations of the Moldovan president have challenged a replying reaction of the presidential administration, with adviser Mark Tkaciuk rejecting the interpretations due to what he described as “very poor information” of the Russian foreign department.

Asked about the imminent rise of the price of natural gas supplied to the Republic of Moldova, the chairman of the Russian giant Gazprom, Aleksy Miler, said that the Russian gas price for Moldova “must be at the level of the European price,” though negotiations go on. He motivated this stance through “applying of principles of market economy” and “single treatment for all former Soviet states.”

The Russian holding Vinny Mir, a leading importer of wines from Moldova, says that the share of the Moldovan wines on the Russian market is on the decline. The market share of Moldovan wines declined from 60 percent down to 52 percent of the overall imported wines in 2005 and it is expected to drop down to 40 percent in 2006. Although the exports from Moldova are on the rise, the share market is on the decline because of the considerable growth of wine consumption in the Russian Federation.

According to a communication released by the Moldpres agency, the Moldovan Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry has received a letter from the Russian Food Security Agency, which seeks the presentation of a plan on exportation of agricultural production to the Russian market. At the same time, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry continues the negotiations with the federal service for phyto-sanitary and veterinary control of Russia, in order to relieve the exportation of Moldovan agricultural production, since the Moldovan authorities have complied with all requirements of the Russian side.

Moldova in the world

The U.S. Embassy has expressed concern regarding recent allegations in the Moldovan media that the Embassy’s 17 February statement regarding the Pasat case “amounted to interference in Moldova’s internal affairs or was intended to damage Moldova in some way.”. According to a March 1 statement of the U.S. Embassy, “Moldova has no better friend than the United States, one of the first countries to recognize Moldova’s independence and establish an embassy here and the largest bilateral assistance donor.” The Embassy warned that the persons whom representatives of some Chisinau newspapers labelled members of some groups of interests “are all outstanding current or former American officials who have worked tirelessly to promote America’s national interests.” The U.S. reiterated that the MiG transaction of 1997 was in the interests of Moldova as well as of the United States and noted that it considers it appropriate to challenge assertions to the contrary, from whatever source, which might mislead readers to believe that the United States took advantage of Moldova in this transaction.

On March 8, the U.S. Department of State has released the annual report on human rights that includes a distinct chapter on Moldova, which says that the Moldovan Government respects the rights of its citizens, but there are problems in certain areas, especially related to the situation in the Transnistrian region. In order to correspond to international human rights standards, the Chisinau Government should take some actions, in a move to improve the situation of justice and conditions in prisons. Also, the report indicated the need of appropriate measures for insurance of freedom of mass media, rights of the political opposition, combat of trafficking in persons and discrimination against women and children.

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