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Activity of the President on June 6–19, 2005
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e-journal #53 |
Diplomatic tour
President Vladimir Voronin was on official visits to the NATO General Headquarters and the European Parliament on June 7–8. The visits focused on the Transnistrian settlement issue. Passing over aspects of this issue which we will discuss below, other topics discussed within this ample diplomatic tour are also worthy of attention.
The NATO General Headquarters
The Moldovan president enjoyed the occasion to deliver an ample speech to the North-Atlantic Council while on a visit to the NATO central headquarters. President Voronin expressed gratitude to the North-Atlantic Treaty Organization for the support it had granted under different shapes to Moldova, opening of the Moldovan side for development of its relationships with the NATO, and highlighted Moldova’s wish to sign an Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) with the strongest military alliance in the world, a document able to start a new stage in the contract-based ties with the NATO. Taking into account the permanent neutrality statute of Moldova, especially the former perceptions of President Voronin, leader of the Party of Moldovan Communists, and of most of his party colleagues towards NATO, this relatively new approach of Moldova’s relations with the NATO is surprising, though it envisages the signing of an eventual IPAP for the time being. More than that, Defence Minister Valeriu Plesca hinted recently that Moldova could give up the permanent neutrality statute. We will see whether the statement of Minister Plesca is venturesome. However, the idea to reconsider Moldova’s relationships with the NATO is clearly outlined in Moldovan society for sure.
According to Voronin, the eventual IPAP between Moldova and NATO, whose start was already solicited through an official letter to the NATO secretary-general, should take intro account the specifics and needs of Moldova, while its implementation should take place in parallel with the implementation of the European Union’s Action Plan for Moldova.
The European Parliament
In Strasbourg, the Moldovan leader had a number of meetings with European Parliament President Joseph Borrell Fontelles, members of the Commission for Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament, and European Commission head Jose Manuel Baroso.
According to official press reports, Voronin aimed to persuade again the sides over legality and naturalness of Moldova’s European aspirations, existence of a wide national consensus regarding the key objective of foreign policy, and to ask the support of European institutions for settlement of many problems faced by Moldova at present. In the context, Voronin sought the urgent endorsement of the E.U. Action Plan for Moldova by the European Parliament and recognition of Moldova’s European perspective, stressing that the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP) is unable to fully satisfy the European integration aspirations, while the “neighborhood” notion in the name of an eventual new agreement would reflect neither the endeavors of Moldova, nor the nature of its relations with the E.U. Also, he assured that Moldova will demonstrate through implementation of the E.U. Action Plan for Moldova that it is capable of another type of contract-based relationship with the E.U. However, Voronin gave few enough examples when he should give concrete examples of actions undertaken within the E.U. Action Plan for Moldova.
Meeting between Vladimir Voronin and George Soros
President Vladimir Voronin had a meeting with George Soros, chairman of the Soros LLC Management Fund and head of the Open Society Institute. According to the presidential press service, Soros informed the Moldovan president about his intention to formulate a new strategy of the Soros Foundation for Moldova. According to philanthropist Soros, the strategy will call for development of capacities of governmental institutions, implementation of education and healthcare programs, support for European integration activities, attraction of foreign financing for different strategies and programs aimed to adjust Moldova to the European standards.
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