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 2020 NR.2(168) Synthesis and Foreign Policy Debates The newsletter is developed by Sorina Ştefârţă, editor-coordinator TOPICS OF THE EDITION: 1. Alexandru Jizdan, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee for National Security, Defense and Public Order, Secretary General of the Democratic Party of Moldova: “The most dangerous thing today is that weak people, both professionally and spiritually, work in the state institutions” 2. Editorial by Mădălin Necșuțu, BalkanInsight.com Reporter: “Transnistria, still a focal point of internal and regional instability” 3. Viorel Cibotaru, director of the European Institute for Political Studies in Moldova: “The veiled attempts to rewrite the history of the Transnistrian conflict is changing completely the paradigm of the state of Republic of Moldova” 4. Expert Opinion. Oleg Serebrian: “It is difficult to say when this Gordian knot- the Transnistrian problem- will finally be untied” News in brief After a two-year break, President Igor Dodon returned to Brussels in early March. During his working visit to the Belgian capital, he promised that the Republic of Moldova will continue to implement the Association Agreement with the European Union, noting that our country relies on the cooperation with the EU in the process of consolidating the democratic institutions. In this context, the head of state committed to continue fighting corruption, reforming the justice system and investigating the“theft of the billion”. At the same time, Igor Dodon reiterated his thesis of“a balanced between East and West foreign policy”, which he should promote in Chisinau, while during the meeting with Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General, he brought up again the idea of ​“​ permanent neutrality”.“I reiterated that the constitutional status of permanent neutrality and the balanced foreign policy remain a priority and we intend to obtain the international recognition of the constitutional status of permanent neutrality of our country,” he said. The President’s visit to Brussels was anticipated by that of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, Aureliu Ciocoi, during which the progress of the relations between Moldova and the EU, as well as the security situation in the region, were addressed. Thus, in the discussion with Dragoș Tudorache, who is also the Rapporteur of the European Parliament for the Republic of Moldova, the achievements in the area of ​t​ he Association Agreement were pointed out, while Petras Auštrevičius, the Rapporteur for the Eastern Partnership, underlined the importance of strengthening the cooperation of the partner states in the area of security, strategic communication and combating hybrid threats. Another topic on Aureliu Ciocoi’s agenda was also the cooperation with NATO, a topic addressed with the Deputy Secretary General of the Alliance, Mircea Geoană. Priorities include the development of a new Individual Partnership Action Plan(IPAP), the NATO Assistance Package for strengthening our country’s defense and security capabilities, the projects under the“Science for Peace and Security” Programme, the cooperation for combating the new security threats, but also the promotion of public diplomacy activities. “The EU will continue to conditionally support the Republic of Moldova,” said Luc Pierre Devigne, Deputy Director General for Europe and Central Asia, at the end of the fifth meeting of the EU-Moldova Association Committee, in Chisinau. According to him, the European assistance will depend on how Chisinau will respect the democratic laws and standards.“The European partners want concrete actions in the investigation of bank fraud, they want to see results in the fight against corruption and justice reform”, said the official. Luc Pierre Devigne also discussed with the Moldovan authorities the need to respect the rule of law, to ensure media pluralism and to adopt the law on “The Russian laundromat”. He was also dissatisfied with the fact that the people who received the citizenship of the Republic of Moldova through the“Citizenship through Investment” Programme remain anonymous. In turn, the Moldovan authorities spoke to the European official about the importance of boosting cooperation between the Republic of Moldova and the EU, reiterated their commitment to respect the recommendations of international organizations such as the OSCE and the Venice Commission, and committed to hold extensive public consultations on the projects of major importance. Whose direction is„the Transnistrian mace” flying to? March 2nd, 2020, Chișinău. Veterans of the Nistru War, ready to storm the Government building Photo: Jurnal TV Sorina Ștefârță For 28 years now, the beginning of spring is identified in the Republic of Moldova with the outbreak of the Nistru War in 1992, and March 2 nd is a day in which we remember those tragic events and the people who fought and those who died to defend the territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova. It was a turning point that all the governments took into account in these 28 years- either left or right, either looking to the East or West. It’s a historical trauma whose legitimacy, given the pain it carries, no politician has dared to question. Despite what these politicians thought about it de facto. The spring of 2020 brought a new, if we can call it so, approach to these commemoration days. On March 2 nd , hundreds of the Nistru war veterans participated in a protest which escalated with altercations in front of the Government, the participants in the event demanding the Monthly Bulletin, Nr. 2(168), FEBRUARY 2020 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