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 DECEMBER 2021 NR.12(190) Synthesis and Foreign Policy NTheewnselewttselre-tutel resistedreevaelliozpaetddebyMMădăădlăinlinNNeceșcușțuuț,ur,eeddaitcotor-rc-ocooordrdinoantaotror Debates TOPICS OF THE EDITION: 1. Iulian Groza, director IPRE: “The rule of law in the Republic of Moldova is in an extraordinary situation” 2. Angela Gramada, director, ESGA Romania: “Retrospective of 2021: Romania and Ukraine- how far we have come in transforming partnerships” 3. Alexei Tulbure, director of the Oral History Institute: “It is important now not to deviate from the statements and promises made to citizens. Words must be confirmed by deeds” 4. Ludmila Nofit, executive director of Foreign Policy Association(APE): “The change of face” of the Republic of Moldova News in Brief The Moldovan Prime Minister, Natalia Gavriliță, discussed, on December 9, in Bucharest, with her counterpart Nicolae Ciucă about the development of the bilateral relationship in the area of ​i​nfrastructure projects, reduction of roaming tariffs and signing of a new financial assistance contract in the amount of 100 million euros.“We have a historic chance to turn the language community into a community of great projects for the benefit of the people on both banks of the Prut, by building new bridges literally and figuratively, whether we are talking about interconnection in the energy sphere, or about connecting the transport infrastructure in the Republic of Moldova to the European networks, or we lay the foundations for facilitating telecommunications”, said Natalia Gavriliță. She thanked Romania for its help during the COVID-19 pandemic with vaccines and medical equipment, but also during the gas crisis in October The Minister for Foreign Affairs and European Integration, Nicu Popescu, together with Olivér Várhelyi, European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, in the presence of President Maia Sandu and European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen, signed on 15 December the Financing Agreement“Contract for consolidating the state and its resilience” in the amount of 60 million euros. The event took place on the sidelines of the Eastern Partnership Summit, which took place on December 14-15 in Brussels. The agreement provides for a€60 million grant to manage the crisis in the energy sector.“The help provided by the European Union proves that we have true friends and international credibility, and comes with concrete benefits for the citizens of the country” said Nicu Popescu. The current separatist leader Vadim Krasnoselski from Tiraspol won, on December 12, with a score of 79.4% the so­called presidential elections that took place in Tiraspol, against an obscure official from the Grigoriopol district, Serghei Pînzar. Krasnoselski received 113,620 votes, while his opponent Serghei Pînzar was voted by 16,914 citizens on the left bank of the Dniester, according to official figures. Vadim Krasnoselski, 51, is a Russian militia general very close to the Sheriff holding company owned by the local oligarch Viktor Gușan. Prior to Sunday’s vote, the Tiraspol Central Electoral Commission eliminated Krasnoselky’s competitors one by one for a variety of reasons. The separatist authorities even changed the Electoral Code before the elections removing the electoral threshold and introducing the possibility of voting“against” one of the candidates. Republic of Moldova in 2021: a retrospective of political change European leaders together with the Heads of State of the Eastern Partnership at the Brussels EaP Summit on 15 December 2021 The year 2021 for the Republic of Moldova was marked by opportunities, crises, challenges and tests in a context it has never encountered before. For the first time in the last 30 years, power in Moldova has been taken over entirely by pro­European forces. and renew ties with the neighbours and the West. It reconnected the Republic of Moldova with both European and democratic values and the tap to development funds previously stopped by the governments of the Democrats and then Socialists. The first move by pro­European President Maia Sandu was to thaw Maia Sandu met with her counterparts in Bucharest and Kiev, after which she paid visits to Brussels and the most important capitals of Europe such as Berlin and Paris. The meetings took place in an atmosphere of maximum openness for the reformist president. Gaining of power after the July 11 elections by the Action and Solidarity Party(PAS) was once again a reconfirmation of Maya Sandu’s work Monthly newsletter, No.12(190), December 2021 111 Bucuresti St., Chisinau, MD-2012, Republic of Moldova, Tel.+373 855830 Website: fes-moldova.org. E-mail:fes@fes-moldova.org