Activity of the President on March 1–15, 2008

Decrees

Under a presidential decree, minister of reintegration, director of the Bureau for Interethnic Relations and presidential advisor for culture, education and science have been nominated members of the state commission for the organisation of the 650^th anniversary of the Moldovan State.

President Vladimir Voronin has awarded the Civic Merit medal for merits in elaborating information systems and contribution to implementing the project on introduction of passports with biometrical records, as follows:

Ghenadie Belinschi, specialist at the Special Telecommunication Centre of the Information and Security Service;
Dumitru Tintiuc, directorate chief in the Border Guard Service.

Sittings. Decisions. Statements

Developing cooperation with E.U.

Moldova’s president has convoked a sitting on implementation of the E.U.-Moldova Action Plan. It indicated progresses in implementing the EUMAP and additional actions which will be taken, as the European Commission is expected to examine a EUMAP assessment report in April. Vladimir Voronin underlined the need of honouring in the due term all commitments stipulated by EUMAP, in order to improve the situation in the following areas: freedom of the media, democratisation, human rights, investment climate and anti-corruption fight. An internal action plan on continuation of reforms to modernise and Europeanise Moldova will be implemented for this purpose, and it will stipulate concrete objective and terms for participating state institutions.

Modernising archives

While on a fact-collection visit to the State Archives Service and National Archives of Moldova, the chief of state was told difficulties faced by archivists and their institutions, in particular, small spaces; bad conditions to keep archives; low salaries; professionalism-related problems, etc. In order to improve the conditions of work of archives, the president proposed the elaboration of an action plan on modernisation and permanent development of this system. The plan shall stipulate the construction of a new block for the National Archives and opportunities to modernise archives by introducing new document archiving procedures (electronic archiving of files).

Interview published by Kommersant

The Transnistrian settlement and Russia’s participation in this process was the topic of the interview. The president of Moldova has stated the following:

The Transnistrian conflict will be definitively settled soon;
Forces halting the conflict resolution have disappeared because they had tenebrous financial interest;
The Transnistrian conflict will be settled only on the basis of the Law # 173-XVI from 22.07.2005 concerning basic principles of the special legal status of localities from the left bank of the Dniester River (Transnistria);
There is a need to adopt a statement on recognition of Moldova’s permanent neutrality, which shall be signed by all parties participating in the “Five-Plus-Two” negotiation process, except for Tiraspol;
Vladimir Voronin is ready to negotiate with any person concerned;
Transnistria will become an autonomy with wide competences of a republic, while Moldova will keep being a unitary state with two autonomous units — Gagauzia and Transnistria;
Transnistria will keep its coat of arms, flag, official languages it needs;
The draft law on Transnistria’s status contains many elements and positions from the Kozak Memorandum;
Moldova could withdraw from GUAM because of the obscure perspective and absence of an economic interest in this organisation;
In the event Transnistria reunites into Moldova, the 1.5-million-dollar debt towards Gazprom will be inherited by Moldova;
The law forbidding the privatisation in Transnistria without Chisinau’s consent has already been abrogated.
Commentary by ADEPT: The law on privatisation of enterprises based on the left bank of the Dniester River and Bender municipality (#338-XV from 14.10.2004) is still in force on websites of the Government and Parliament, no draft stipulates the abrogation or amendment of these regulations.