Foreign Affairs on June 1–15, 2007

European integration

The last preparations for the June 19-scheduled sitting of the European Union-Moldova Cooperation Council in Luxembourg have been made in the period covered by this issue of the e-journal Governing and Democracy in Moldova. The interest for this event is on the rise, as the E.U. is expected to tell its opinion regarding the future relations with Moldova after February 2008, when the term for implementation of the E.U.-Moldova Action Plan (EUMAP) is over.

Signals coming various ways are not encouraging so far. There are speculations in certain circles that the E.U. will criticise much on June 19 the way Chisinau has accomplished the EUMAP goals until now. Given the progress in implementing the EUMAP, it is believed that the E.U. could extend the term of implementation of this plan and would accept to consider the possibility of promoting the relations with Chisinau at a new quality level only after a satisfactory accomplishment of the EUMAP goals.

Bilateral cooperation

Republic of Moldova — Ukraine

Moldovan Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Andrei Stratan visited Ukraine on June 7 and met there Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko and his counterpart Arseny Yatsenyuk. According to the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration (MFAEI), Stratan and Yushchenko have exchanged opinions regarding bilateral relations under various aspects and evolutions of the Transnistria settlement process.

The meeting with Yatsenyuk focussed on travel regime with Ukraine. In particular, the sides discussed difficulties faced by Moldovan citizens to cross the Moldovan-Ukrainian border along with minors who do not have passports and are included in passports of parents. In this context, the Ukrainian foreign minister assured that difficulties related to border crossing will be remedied.

MFAEI of Moldova has released a communication after that meeting, confirming the maintenance of the same crossing regime at the Moldovan-Ukrainian border. It means that minors can further travel to Ukraine together with one or both parents, if they are registered in passports of their parents or if they hold nominal passports and are accompanied by their legal representatives.

Republic of Moldova — Russia

The long-discussed meeting between Moldovan and Russian Presidents Vladimir Voronin and Vladimir Putin took place on June 10. Media outlets reported before the meeting that the two presidents could sign a secretly negotiated Transnistria settlement plan, which favours Moscow in detriment of Chisinau.

Presidential press services were very laconic in reporting the talks between Voronin and Putin after the meeting. Nothing was told about the alleged plan. The public opinion was informed that Presidents Voronin and Putin have discussed the development of Moldovan-Russian cooperation on various plans, prospect of settling the Transnistrian conflict and resuming Moldovan wine exports to the Russian Federation.

Shortly after that meeting, news agencies said that Moldova will restart wine exports to Russia and this problem was solved at the Voronin-Putin meeting. Acording to Moldpres, President Putin has instructed Russian Minister of Agriculture Aleksy Gordeyev, head of the Federal Customs Service Andrei Velyaminov and Rospotrebnadzor head Gennady Onishcheko after the informal CIS summit in Sankt Petersburg to resume immediately the wine imports from Moldova. This political solution comes to solve a problem that Russian specialised services have linked to the bad quality of Moldovan wines. The “sovereign democracy” in Russia is in its own right.

Many observers are trying now to answer this question: What has Chisinau ceded? There is no absolute answer to this question, especially given the uncertainty around the return of Moldovan wines to the Russian market. It was promised after the November 2006 meeting of Moldovan and Russian presidents that Russian citizens would drink Moldovan champagne on the 2007 New Year, but it was not so. Now Moldovan exporters stay cautiously optimistic after many petty promises.

In this context, officials of Moldova-Vin Agency stated that wine exports are expected to restart soon, authorities are technically working very insistently and they cannot say now what companies or what quantities of wines will be exported.

The Russian publication Kommersant confirms the eventual return of Moldovan alcohol exports to Russia and gives a possible answer to the question above. Kommersant says that Moldovan wines will return to Russia only after Chisinau will cede some brands to the Russian state company Soyuzplodoimport, which is exclusively in charge with imports from Moldova. According to Kommersant, Belyi Aist is the first brand to be ceded.

Multilateral cooperation

Republic of Moldova — Council of Europe

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has sentenced Moldova in three cases in the period concerned.

The Strasbourg-based Court has established in the case Gutu vs. Moldova the violation of the right to freedom, the right to private life and effective appeal. Moldova was told to pay 5,000 Euros in non-pecuniary damages and 1,500 Euros in costs and expenses to the applicant.

In the second case Malahov vs. Moldova, the ECHR has found out the violation of the right to a fair trial. It obliged the Moldovan Government to pay 1,800 Euros to the applicant in pecuniary and non-pecuniary damages and 600 Euros in costs and expenses.

The Court has ascertained in the third case Flux vs. Moldova the restriction of the right to freedom of expression. It obliged the Moldovan authorities to pay 260 Euros to Flux newspaper in pecuniary damages, 3,000 Euros in non-pecuniary damages and 1,200 Euros in costs and expenses.

Republic of Moldova — CIS

Sankt Petersburg hosted an informal summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) on June 10. President Vladimir Voronin represented Moldova at the meeting. We recall that the summit took place a couple of days after the Yalta summit of CIS premiers attended by Moldovan Prime Minister Vasile Tarlev and the 28^th plenary sitting of the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly in Sankt Petersburg attended by President Voronin.

According to the presidential press service, CIS leaders heard on June 10 a report by CIS executive secretary Vladimir Rushaylo concerning the CIS reformation concept and participants exchanged opinions on this document.

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