The Newsletter is based on the radio programme broadcast on May 8th, 2017, produced by the Foreign Policy Association of Moldova in partnership with Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung(FES). The programme is broadcast on the Moldova Public Radio. The programme is part of the FES/APE“Foreign Policy Dialogues” Project. The content can be reproduced by mentioning the source. NEWSLETTER MONTHLY BULLETIN JUNE 2017 NR.5(135) Synthesis and Foreign Policy Debates The materials are realized by Lina Grau, foreign policy expert and programme coordinator with APE. TOPICS OF THE EDITION: 1. Natalia Albu: External threats are fueled by vulnerability within the state- by poor governance 2. Ion Tăbârţă: Moldovan political actors exploit security threats in order to obtain electoral and economic dividends 3. Lasha Tughushi, Georgia: Not only does the army provide state security but also democracy and anti-corruption The last period was marked by a series of important events for the Republic of Moldova. The visa liberalization regime granted by the EU to the Republic of Moldova in 2014 is working well, with a very low refusal rate, over 850 000 Moldovan citizens having already travelled without a visa in the Schengen area, according to the European Commission’s report on the implementation of the European Neighbourhood Policy. The report also stresses that the EU supports the negotiations for the settlement of the Transnistrian conflict in order to identify peaceful and sustainable solutions. The creation of free trade areas with Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine opens up new trade and investment opportunities and a more stable operating environment for EU and regional companies. The EU is the number one trade partner for all three DCFTA partners. The EU share in the total trade in 2016 increased to 55% for the Republic of Moldova, 41% for Ukraine and 30% for Georgia. The Russian company“Inter RAO”, owned by the Cuciurgan Electric Power Plant in the Transnistrian separatist region, regained 70% of the current supplies to the Republic of Moldova. Chisinau changed the provisions of the March 31 agreement, according to which the Ukrainian company DTEK Holding was to be the only energy supplier. The price at which Energocom will buy energy from Cuciurgan is 45 USD per megawatt, compared to 50 USD as originally offered by the Ukrainian supplier. The change of contract took place without any public tender and the European Energy Community criticized the lack of transparency of the transaction. As a first reaction, the leader of the Transnistrian region, Vadim Krasnoselski, thanked the Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin for his alleged role in the resumption of the energy supplies on the Moldovan market. The Moldova-Romania Inter-Governmental Commission for European Integration met in Chisinau after a two-year break. According to IPN, the agreements reached on this occasion include support for police reform by sharing experience and good practices for the development of the Joint Law Enforcement Training Center, as well as cooperation in the field of justice. The Parliament has re-voted the draft law on ratification of the Protocol for amending the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Moldova and the Government of Romania on cooperation in the military field. The document was previously rejected by President Igor Dodon on the grounds that it violates Moldova’s status of neutrality. Roman Botan, chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security, said that this protocol provides an opportunity to strengthen the bilateral Moldovan-Romanian relations in the field of defense and invoked the decision of the Constitutional Court, which stated that“the neutrality status does not impose additional conditions that can limit the foreign policy of the neutral state.” After the re-voting of the document by Parliament, President Igor Dodon is forced to promulgate it. The Democratic Party has registered in the Parliament a draft law designed to combat the Russian TV propaganda. According to the Democratic Party leader Vlad Plahotniuc, the draft law is not going to ban the Russian TV programmes and broadcasts, especially the entertainment shows, but the democrats admit that the Russian analytical and informational programmes will undergo changes and the focus will be on news about the EU, USA, Canada and NATO. The draft law provides for financial sanctions and even for withdrawal of the broadcasting license for those who will not comply with the law. The director of the Independent Press Association, Petru Macovei, thinks the initiative is a necessary one, but says in an interview to Radio Free Europe that he has no confidence in the sincerity of the Democratic Party and its leader“who has been rebroadcasting for over ten years the most toxic propagandistic channel of the Russian Federation-“Perviy Kanal.” The most recent poll, conducted by the Public Opinion Fund at the command of Poliexpert, shows that 57% of respondents believe that Moldova should be close to Russia, while 43% opt for the West and Europe. The survey data place the Russian Federation on top of the countries towards which Moldovans have positive attitudes. Russia is followed by the EU, Romania, Ukraine and USA. The idea of ​M​ oldova joining NATO is supported by 21% of the respondents and 23% opted for unification of Moldova with Romania. To what extent can the Republic of Moldova guarantee its security? Monthly Bulletin, Nr. 5(135), June 2017 64, Sciusev str. MD-2012, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova, Tel-Fax:+373 22 21 09 86 Website: www.ape.md E-mail: office@ape.md