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 APRIL 2020 NR.4(170) Synthesis and Foreign Policy Debates The newsletter is developed by Sorina Ştefârţă, editor-coordinator TOPICS OF THE EDITION: 1. Veaceslav Negruța, expert at Transparency International- Moldova: “Every word, phrase, idea and condition of this agreement is in favour of Russia” 2. Editorial by Victor Chirilă, executive director of APE: “Without credibility, the Republic of Moldova risks being ignored by its friends” 3. Valeriu Pașa, project manager,“WatchDog.MD”Community: “COVID-19‘Infodemia’ in Republic of Moldova and its implications for future elections” 4. Expert opinion. Dumitru Pîntea: “The COVID-19 Crisis- how is the Republic of Moldova financing its budget deficit” News in brief The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania, Bogdan Aurescu, was in Chisinau on Thursday, April 30th, on the occasion of the launching in the Republic of Moldova of the Romanian medical mission to support the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. He participated together with other Romanian officials in the ceremony of passing on the first tranche of humanitarian aid, established by the Bucharest authorities for our country- 3000 protective suits, 6000 FFP2 protective masks and 6000 surgical masks, 11,500 pairs of gloves, 100 visors, and10 islets designed by the military researchers in Romania. All this, led by a mission of 42 medical staff who, in the next period, will work with their colleagues in the hospitals of the towns of Chisinau, Balti and Cahul. Also, on April 30th, the Government of Romania decided to provide a total support of about 3.5 million Euros to help the Republic of Moldova overcome the pandemic crisis. On the occasion of the visit, Bogdan Aurescu had a meeting with his counterpart in Chisinau, Oleg Țulea, who thanked Romania for its help and mentioned that this support is proof of solidarity between the two countries and the strong friendships between them. Both at the meeting with the foreign minister and in the discussions with the prime minister Ion Chicu, the Romanian official strongly emphasized the importance of the Moldovan authorities to intensify, in a consistent and credible manner, the reforms necessary for getting closer to the EU, as well as to respect democratic principles/ the rule of law. Bogdan Aurescu reaffirmed Romania's firm commitment to support an irreversible European path of the Republic of Moldova, based on the bilateral Strategic Partnership for European Integration of our country, which marked the tenth anniversary on the 27h April 2020. At the same time, he pointed out that Romania's subsequent support for the Republic of Moldova will be conditioned upon continuation of these essential reforms. "A goal-oriented dialogue, with regular interactions by the two political representatives, is crucial to resolving the humanitarian problems posed by the COVID-19 crisis to the population on both banks of the Nistru," said Claus Neukirch, the head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova, in a speech to the OSCE Permanent Council. According to the organization, since the introduction of the state of emergency in the Republic of Moldova, the Mission has made sustained efforts to identify practical solutions to the problems caused by the COVID-19 crisis to people living in the Security Zone. In the last six weeks, the Mission has carried out 30 monitoring visits to the region, and the pressing issues identified include, in particular, the restrictions on the freedom of movement imposed by Tiraspol in response to the pandemic. The Head of Mission reiterated the need for Tiraspol to rethink its approach and ensure that people can move to their workplace, have access to healthcare, ATMs, etc. At the same time, Claus Neukirch welcomed the willingness of the parties to support a fact-finding visit of the World Health Organization in early May, together with the OSCE Mission. The Russian loan, a political iceberg with economic pitfalls? May 7th, the day of the„big test” for the Constitutional Court Sorina Ștefârță “The Constitutional Court has two options at the moment: either it stops the lawlessness allowed by the rulers in this case, or it accepts the political pressure and blackmail by the government and, in particular, by President Dodon. The first option would be beneficial for the state of the Republic of Moldova and for the society- because, along with imposing the rule of law, it would also offer the chance of a possible renegotiation and rethinking of financing sources in these difficult times. The second scenario would mean, in fact, imposing the“power’s law”, through blackmail and pressure on judges, which has already been pointed out by the latter. Let’s see what will happen on May 7 th , but currently there is enough room for optimism as to the legal decisions taken by the court, in favour of imposing a respect for the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova.” The statement belongs to the economic expert Veaceslav Negruța made during the interview taken for this edition of the newsletter, dedicated to the Loan Agreement with the Russian Federation. Monthly Bulletin, Nr. 4(170), APRIL 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