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Foreign Affairs on April 12–28, 2006

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Republic of Moldova — Council of Europe

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has sentenced Moldova in the trial “Macovei and others vs. Moldova”. The applicants, six Moldovan nationals, have invoked the violation of fundamental rights through a judgment of the Supreme Court of Justice that confirmed the legality of a decision of the insurance company ASITO to cancel unilaterally the insurance contracts signed and honoured by applicants. The ECHR indicated the violation of Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Article 1 of the Protocol 1 to the Convention, obliging the authorities to pay pecuniary and non-pecuniary damages worth over 21,000 euros to the six nationals.

The permanent representative of Moldova to the Council of Europe (CoE) has addressed the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe regarding the restricted importation of Moldovan and Georgian wines in the Russian Federation. Ambassador Alexei Tulbure said that the Moldovan and Georgian authorities will “reach the conclusion that the decision banning the sale of all wines made in our countries has a political nature.” The April 19 resolution of the State Duma that supports the restriction without any grounds in favour of these accusations confirms this fact. Tulbure noted that “Russia punishes Georgia and Moldova because it considers that they are in its zone of influence,” feared that the “democratic stability” in the two countries “is in danger,” while “Russia is trying to change the political agenda” from these countries. The CoE’s Committee of Ministers decided to tackle these problems at its next sittings.

The Committee of Ministers has asked the Secretariat to work out a special report on the general situation of human rights in Moldova’s breakaway enclave of Transnistria. The Committee of Ministers will estimate further the possibility to take concrete actions against violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms by the Russia-supported authoritarian Tiraspol regime.

Republic of Moldova — European Union

Marianne Mikko, chairwoman of the European Parliament Delegation to the Moldova-E.U. Parliamentary Cooperation Committee, has signed two declarations on Moldova.

The declaration “on Russia’s embargo on Moldovan wines” expresses concern with the new proofs of economic pressures used for political purposes and strongly disapproves such tools of pressure.

The declaration “on activity of the E.U. Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine” expresses satisfaction with the successful activity of the E.U. Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine and welcomes the consistent implementation of the December 2005 customs agreement between Ukraine and Moldova.

Republic of Moldova — Romania

A sitting convoked by Moldovan president has discussed issues related to relations between the Republic of Moldova and Romania, draft basic treaty and border treaty between Moldova and Romania, as well as draft agreement on visa regime. According to the presidential press service, Vladimir Voronin has outlined that the signing of the basic treaty between Moldova and Romania, as well as of the border treaty will become an incontestable stake in consolidating the immunity of foreign policy on Moldovan statehood. The chief of state said that “it is clear to everybody that the basic treaty and the border treaty with Moldova are documents capable to become the most important investment of the foreign policy of Romania in the Transnistrian settlement, in consolidation of the regional security in the Black Sea basin. In this situation, the propagandistic insinuations of Tiraspol regarding the unavoidable inclusion of Moldova by Romania lose any ground and I hope that the Romania-phobia used by so many persons and which lays so many obstacles in relations between our nations will disappear at the same time.”

On the other hand, the Bucharest authorities did not clearly speak out about prospects of the signing of a basic political treaty, with different sources saying that there are certain concerns only with the border treaty, while the Romanian Foreign Ministry considers that a Partnership Agreement “For Europe” shall replace the political treaty.

President Traian Basescu has assured that Romania is very interested that the E.U. examines Moldova in the framework of integration policy, in the same package with the Western Balkans, not within the good neighbourhood policy.

Republic of Moldova — Russian Federation

A delegation from the Moldovan Parliament visited Moscow on April 13–14 and met with officials of the State Duma, heads of competent committees, and members of the Moldovan-Russian friendship group. Members of the delegation headed by Eugenia Ostapciuc, chairwoman of the Communist parliamentary faction, said that the meetings took place “in a welcome and sincere atmosphere and they especially focussed on the need of a fair and civilised solution to the problem of the eastern districts of Moldova, promotion of agricultural production, and problem of wine deliveries to the Russian market”.

The Russian State Duma adopted on April 19, 2006 a declaration supporting the measures of the Russian consumer protection service Rospotrebnadzor against importation of Moldovan and Georgian wines. The declaration invites the Moldovan and Georgian authorities “to take radical measures in order to improve the quality of goods, as well as to combat the making of counterfeited products.”

Valery Nesterushkin, ambassador with special missions of the Russian Foreign Ministry, has said in an interview with RIA Novosti that Russia “is actively working to provide material assistance to Transnistria in continuation.”

The Russian defence minister has stated to a Belarusian publication that the Russian Federation “will not cede to provocations and will continue the difficult peacekeeping mission in the former Soviet area.” Sergey Ivanov noted that the Chisinau officials have conducted “a campaign aimed to discredit the Russian peacekeepers, demanding a new format of the mission,” but Russia “will not quit its friends when they need its help, as the Russian peacekeepers only are capable to maintain the peaceful negotiation process.”

Although it was initially announced that the delegation of the Moldovan Parliament will participate in the 100th anniversary of the Russian State Duma, that it will have a series of meetings with Russian officials and will address the parliament, the visit was cancelled at the last moment because Speaker Marian Lupu has caught flu. According to the diplomatic practice, the delegation attends the events if the invitations at ceremonies are accepted and the participation is confirmed, even if the initially appointed persons cannot take part. The cancellation of the earlier confirmed visits at the last moment for not very plausible reasons may be regarded as an unfriendly action.

March 29 – April 11, 2006 April 29 – May 15, 2006