Foreign Affairs on May 31 – June 14, 2006

Republic of Moldova — Council of Europe

The president of Moldova has met Terry Davis, secretary-general of the Council of Europe (CoE) at the Summit of the Black Sea Forum for Dialogue and Partnership in Bucharest and discussed cooperation between Moldova and CoE. The CoE secretary-general saluted the activity of Moldovan authorities aimed to implement the recommendations of CoE, indicating particularly the creation and necessary functioning of the National Institute of Justice.

The CoE Committee of Ministers held a new meeting on supervision of execution of the European Court of Human Rights’ judgments (Article 46 of ECHR) on June 6–7, 2006. The meeting examined issues concerning:

Responses to the 4th Interim Resolution in the Ilascu and others v. Russia & Moldova judgment which found the applicants’ detention in the “Moldovan Republic of Transnistria” to be arbitrary and unlawful and ordered the immediate release of the applicants still in detention;
General measures (constitutional, legislative or other reforms, including the setting up of effective domestic remedies) to prevent new violations similar to those found in the judgments in Moldova, Russia and Ukraine;
Measures adopted or under way for the effective protection of detainees’ rights in 16 countries (Bulgaria, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Moldova, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom).

The ECHR reported to the Moldovan Government on June 13 the Chamber’s judgment on case Istrate vs Moldova. The judgment is not final and indicates the violation of Article 6 (right to a fair trial) of the European Convention on Human Rights. Applicant Andrei Istrate is a retiree to whom a Moldovan law court awarded victory in 1998 which was partly executed but the Court of Appeal had outlawed it. The ECHR ordered the Moldovan Government to pay 258 euros to the applicant in pecuniary damage, 1,500 euros in non-pecuniary damages and 100 euros in costs and expense.

The prime minister has asked the CoE at the trilateral meeting European Commission — Council of Europe — Republic of Moldova in Chisinau to identify methodical, material, logistic and financial possibilities to continue assisting Moldova in some key sectors — continued adjustment of national legal framework to European standards; — democratisation of the Transnistrian region of Moldova; — consolidation of democracy, etc.

Republic of Moldova — European Union

On June 7, Moldovan experts participated in the first round of negotiations with representatives of the European Commission regarding possibilities to facilitate the visa regime for Moldovan citizens. Representatives of Moldova reported the latest evolutions in the process of implementation of provisions of the Moldova-E.U. Action Plan on fight against trafficking in human beings and organised crime, illegal migration, security of national travel documents, and other issues which create the framework on talks on these matters. The Moldovan side reported the difficulties faced by Moldovan citizens while willing to obtain Schengen visas. According to a press release, the European Commission’s delegation took notice of requests and arguments voiced by Moldovan experts at the meeting and expressed readiness to study the provided information and to continue the dialogue.

The European Parliament in Brussels has hosted a tasting of Moldovan wines under generic “replying the Russian Federation’s embargo.” The organisation of exhibition was supported and promoted by the European Parliament’s Delegation of the Moldova-E.U. Committee for Parliamentary Cooperation and its chairwoman Marianne Mikko. Invitees learned the capacities of Moldova’s wine industry and appreciated the quality of Moldovan wines. Participants in the event made common cause with Moldova in the difficult situation challenged by the Russian Federation’s restriction of Moldovan and invited Moldovan producers to reorient their exports to other markets.

The European Union will allocate 500,000 euros to Moldova within a food security programme to finance the renovation of the Republican Veterinary Diagnosis Centre, regional centres in Donduseni and Cahul. Most of this money will be used to modernise food certification laboratories, so that to restart talks on extended possibilities to export some agro-industrial products to the E.U. after their reopening.

A delegation of the European Parliament intends to visit Valeriu Pasat in prison. The co-chairwoman of the Moldova-E.U. Parliamentary Cooperation Committee, Marianne Mikko, has regretted a failed visit to Pasat in early May, expressing hope that there will be no obstacle to halt a visit to the former defence minister of Moldova in late June. European parliamentarians said that they are carefully monitoring the evolution of Pasat’s situation and they have some questions regarding circumstances and arguing of his case.

A project called Support to Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) and World Trade Organisation Implementation and to E.U./Moldova European Neighbourhood Policy Action Plan (ENPAP) was launched in Moldova. Total budget is about 4 million Euro allocated by the European Commission. The project will be implemented the next three years. International experts assisted by local experts will work out strategies on readjustments of Moldovan legislation to community norms, will consolidate the system of monitoring of reports on implementation of the Moldova-E.U. Action Plan.

The E.U. Border Assistance Mission has totalled a stage of its activity at the Moldovan-Ukrainian border. According to a communication of the Mission, Moldovan and Ukrainian border guards have confiscated more goods during a 10-day joint operation than in the past three months. They held 322 persons on illegal border crossing attempt to, confiscated more than 52 tons of meat products (especially fowl), 63 tons of vegetables, 11.3 kilograms of drugs, at least 5,500 boxes of matches and more than 2,500 litres of alcohol. According to General Ferenc Banfi, head of the E.U. Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine, these facts reveal the success of a deep cooperation between departments participating in border monitoring process on behalf of the two countries.

Republic of Moldova — Romania

Romania’s exports to Moldova grew by about 30 percent in January-April 2006. while imports rose by 2 percent (Moldova exports animals, beef and pork, canned meat products, dairy, fruits, clothes and footwear, wine to Romania and imports energy, furniture, cosmetics, fertilisers, agricultural machines, etc., from Romania). The bilateral trade balance favours Romania, as Romanian exports to Moldova totalled 326 million dollars while imported turned over 85 million dollars. A new agreement of economic cooperation will be signed soon instead of the free trade agreement, which will be denounced when Romania will join the E.U.

Bucharest hosts the Week of Moldovan Economy in Romania from June 12 to 17, which includes several key events: the national exhibition Moldova Presents, a business forum and a cultural programme. As many as 100 Moldovan firms present their offers in different sectors: packing, textiles, food and wine industries. According to statistics, Romania ranks the 7th place regarding investments in Moldovan economy (4 percent of overall investments).

A group of members of Moldovan and Romanian NGOs protested on June 14 in front of the Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest, demanding the Romanian authorities to award the citizenship to all Moldovans. The manifestation was organised by Oleg Brega, chairman of NGO Hyde Park. Protestors have delivered a petition to the Parliament, Justice Ministry and president of Romania seeking “the recognition of citizens from over the Proute River as citizens of Romania, given the fact that the Romanian citizenship was withdrawn from them through violence.” The petition was signed by about 1,000 persons and organisers expect the competent authorities to answer it within 30 days.

On June 11, more than 300 Romanian nationals and Moldovan students protested in front of the Moldovan Embassy in Bucharest against investigation under Penal Code of four students who have broken the “Moldovan-French” name of the lyceum Gh. Asachi in Chisinau.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Andrei Stratan has asked the Moldovan Embassy in Bucharest to solicit information regarding the presentation of an own plan on settlement of the Transnistrian conflict by Romanian President Traian Basescu. Chisinau wants an official confirmation in order to comment on this issue. According to Stratan, “a proposal related to the Transnistrian settlement must be discussed both with Chisinau and Moscow and with the European Union, the United States and Ukraine.” Asked by Chisinau mass media to comment on this case, Romanian Foreign Minister Mihai Razvan Ungureanu said that it is being discussed whether the Romanian president will table his proposals on settlement of the Transnistrian conflict to Chisinau or not.

Republic of Moldova — Russian Federation

The Russian deputy premier and defence minister has said that Russian peacekeepers and troops will remain in the region until settlement of the Transnistrian conflict. Sergey Ivanov told journalists that an eventual evacuation of Russian troops and ammunition cannot be discussed “as long as a political solution between Moldova and Transnistria is unavailable,” while the 1,500 Russian peacekeepers “prevent a war in the region.” Ivanov delivered such statements in Baku to the council of CIS defence ministers.

The Russian authorities did not accept the resumption of agricultural products from Moldova a year after having restricted them. Negotiations have failed, with the Moldovan being sure that Moscow is not interested to resume the imports of vegetal production from Moldova, though experts of the Russian service for veterinary and phyto-sanitary control do not raise essential reservations against quality of Moldovan agricultural production any longer. According to estimates, Moldovan exporters lost about 12 million dollars last year due to the Russian embargo on agricultural production.

Negotiations on contracting of natural gas of the Russian giant Gazprom that started earlier this month have been postponed for June 19. The Russian side turned down proposals of Moldova but did not make a final decision yet.

Russian Ambassador with special missions Valeri Nesterushkin has commented the situation in Transnistria, saying that a certain stance regarding a referendum in the region is unavailable because the situation of referendum was not determined yet. According to Nesterushkin, the situation of “crisis” in the region was not completely settled, though many economic agents accept the new conditions and get registered with the relevant authorities in Chisinau.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has commented the results of the conference on implementation of the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty that took place in Vienna, Austria, from May 30 to June 2. Russia does not warm the stance of NATO and GUAM member countries regarding conditioning of ratification of the treaty with its military presence in Georgia and Moldova. It considers that the treaty “is mostly old and does not correspond to the current military-political realities.”

Moldova in the world

The border guard service of Moldova has reported that the number of citizens trying to enter the Schengen are with fake documents is on the rise. Border inspectors discovered many Moldovan or foreign citizens this year who present fake acts or documents of other persons as theirs in order to cross the state border. More than 3,000 breaches of this kind were registered this year and 210 cases were filed under Penal and Administrative Codes.

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