Foreign Policy Association together with Friedrich­Ebert-Stiftung offer you a newsletter on foreign policy and European integration issues of the Republic of Moldova. The newsletter is part of the “Foreign Policy Dialogue” joint Project. NEWSLETTER MONTHLY BULLETIN FEBRUARY 2019 NR.2(156) Synthesis and Foreign Policy Debates The newsletter is developed by Sorina Ştefârţă, editor-coordinator TOPICS OF THE EDITION: 1. Igor Boțan, political analyst, director of ADEPT: ”An impoverished society from which the quality people run away cannot give optimistic results in the elections” 2. Editorial by Viorica Zaharia, chair of the Press Council, editor-in-chief of the Moldovacurata.md portal: ”Integrity as an empty electoral promise” 3. Pavel Postică, programme director at Promo-Lex Moldova: “We can talk about an honest campaign when the conditions are equal for everyone” 4. Expert opinion- Nicu Popescu: “These elections are the most unpredictable of all that the Republic of Moldova has ever had” News in Brief Once again US officials have univocally declared their support for the independence and territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova. It happened in Washington on the occasion of the recent visit to the USA of the Moldovan Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, Tudor Ulianovschi. During his meetings with senior officials from the National Security Council, the State Department and the US Congress, emphasis was placed on the perspectives of the Moldovan-American collaboration, the consolidation of the Strategic Dialogue and the development of cooperation in the field of the information space protection. The meeting also examined the dynamics of regional and global developments in the context of the efforts directed at consolidating the democracy and economic development. Also, the head of the Moldovan diplomacy participated as main guest in a discussion organized by the Atlantic Council. Representatives of the US Administration and opinion-makers from Washington D.C. have reconfirmed the importance of maintaining our country on the US foreign policy priorities agenda. With reference to the forthcoming parliamentary elections in the Republic of Moldova, the US dignitaries have encouraged organization of free and fair elections according to the OSCE standards. “Moldovan-Serbian relations are excellent, but the level of economic cooperation does not correspond to the possibilities,” said Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration, Iurie Leanca, after the recent work visit to Belgrade. During the meetings of the Moldovan official with the Serbian President Aleksandr Vucic, Prime Minister Ana Brnabic and Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic, the parties agreed that today there is a need to strengthen trade and investment, but also to encourage businessmen to establish new ways of cooperation within the Free Trade Area with the EU that the Republic of Moldova is benefitting of. The officials agreed that the two states will continue to support each other within the international organizations in finding lasting solutions to the Transnistrian and Kosovo-Metohia conflicts. The Moldovan deputy prime minister expressed the interest of Chisinau, whose foreign policy priority is to join the EU, in the Serbian experience in the Euro-integration process. Similarly, Iurie Leanca stressed the importance of regional cooperation and the country’s interest in being part of the cooperation mechanisms in the Western Balkans. The Swiss Government will provide approximately six million euros to our country for the implementation of the second phase of the Programme“Capitalising on the Potential of Migration in the Republic of Moldova” within a Memorandum of Understanding between the State Chancellery and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. Thus, the Diaspora Bureau will implement two projects that will help to improve the institutional framework, fight against poverty and strengthen the diaspora’s capacity to actively engage in the country’s social and economic development. The National Employment Agency will receive support to improve the reintegration through employment services by recruiting migrants returning home and to provide people with more chances for legal and temporary migration for work. At the same time, innovation and training projects will be carried out, as well as projects disseminating the best practices at the national and district level. 2019 Elections: again for the last time... Sorina Ștefârță The electoral campaigns - as long as they have existed and as much as the post-totalitarian societies like we are have learned about this complex democratic process- seem to be more and more like bringing a child into the world. For, like probably there is no woman who, after giving birth, has not sworn by all the saints that she will never venture again into this painful experience, I don’t think we can find a party or a politician who haven’t sworn on Saturday before the ballot that it’s for“the Monthly Bulletin, Nr. 2(156), february 2019 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