Infotag news agency

PLUGARU, PETRACHE WARNING AGAINST DICTATORSHIP OF MINORITY

11.03.2010Lawyers Anatol Plugaru [Moldova’s Minister of State Security in 1991-1992] and Mihai Petrache [ex-Chairman of the Centrist Union of Moldova] presume that after the downfall of the Communist dictatorship in July 2009, Moldova seems to be entering a new trend – consolidation of the dictatorship of a minority. That’s how the two free-lance lawyers perceive the yesterday’s decision of the governing Alliance for European Integration leaders to organize a national referendum on adopting a new Constitution.

ROMA PEOPLE COMPLAINING OF DISCRIMINATION

10.03.2010The Roma of Moldova claim that their rights are restricted, that they are subjected to discrimination, and that the program for the support of gypsies, adopted by the previous Communist leadership, does not work.

TRANSNISTRIA VETERANS CALLING TO MERGER

10.03.2010A group of participants in the 1992 Transnistrian armed conflict have called upon the veterans of all wars living in Moldova to get united into one strong organization.

WOMEN DEMANDING MORE ATTENTION

09.03.2010The Forum of Women’s Organizations, the 50/50 Political Women’s Club, and the Gender Centru organization have stood up with an appeal to the Moldovan authorities and civil society to treat women with a greater attention and care.

Press release

USAID Helps to Bridge the IT Networking Skills Gap in Moldova

12.02.2010The accomplishments of the Cisco Networking Academy Program in Moldova were celebrated at a national conference, “Cisco Networking Academy Program – a Successful Model for Educating ICT Skills,” held on February 11 at 15:00 p.m. in the Raut Room of the Leogrand Convention Center in Chisinau.

Comments

DIRK SCHUEBEL: OUR TASK IS TO BRING MOLDOVA TO THE DOORSTEP OF THE EU

09.03.2010Exclusive interview given to the Infotag news agency by the head of the EU delegation to Moldova, Dirk Schuebel.

Press

COMPROMISE WITH SMIRNOV IS IMPOSSIBLE – POPOV

11.03.2010Any compromise with Transnistrian leader Igor Smirnov is impossible, Moldovan Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Andrei Popov presumes.

MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT CHANGES HIS MIND

25.03.2009

Chisinau.   Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin refused to go to Tiraspol on Wednesday for a meeting with Transnistrian leader Igor Smirnov, the Ministry of Reintegration reported late at night on Tuesday.

The Ministry wrote in a press release that the ban on entering the Transnistrian region, announced yesterday by Tiraspol on U.S. and EU observers for the 5+2 negotiation format, is demonstrating that the Transnistrian side is, so far, not ready for meeting its own commitments or for continuing a dialog just taking shape.

“In such situation, President Vladimir Voronin is refraining from attending the Tiraspol meeting with Transnistrian leader Igor Smirnov scheduled for March 25”, the document said.

The Ministry wrote that the Wednesday’s agenda included questions of working out confidence-building measures between Chisinau and Tiraspol and concrete joint projects in this field.

Without doubt, the document said, this meeting in Tiraspol was conceived as a continuation of the fruitful dialog held between the Moldovan President and Transnistrian leader in Moscow in the presence of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev last Wednesday. At that meeting, the parties worked to bring closer their positions on some principal issues, such as, e.g. the inviolability of the 5+2 negotiation format [Moldova and Transnistria as the conflicting sides, Russia, Ukraine and the OSCE as international mediators; and the European Union and United States as observers], and the parties’ readiness to embark on 5+2 negotiations already in the first half of 2009.

The Ministry expressed hope Tiraspol will do everything necessary for the spirit of constructivism, openness and cooperation to dominate in Tiraspol’s position again, and to lift the restrictions on entering the region imposed on Western negotiation participants.

“It is only with such approach that the official Chisinau sees it expedient and productive to continue consultations”, wrote the Moldovan Ministry of Reintegration.

As Infotag has already reported, on Tuesday the secessionist Transnistrian republic announced slapping a travel ban on a whole number of Western officials. Igor Smirnov stated at a news conference yesterday that, in particular, Tiraspol had closed doors to Transnistria for European Union Special Representative for Moldova Kalman Mizsei, U.S. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Moldova Asif J. Chaudhry, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Czech Republic to the Republic of Moldova, Petr Kypr, whose country is now presiding the European Union. So far, there is no confirmation to a previous information that the ban allegedly applied also to a dozen or so of European Union officials. Neither is it known from which concrete date the ban has been in force, and for how long.

Smirnov stated only that was Tiraspol’s reply to the European Union Council of Ministers’ decision to extend for another 12 months, until February 2010, the travel ban on top Transnistria officials.

Quite many observers have an impression that since the last week’s Moscow meeting, Igor Smirnov did all he could to upset his new meeting with President Vladimir Voronin. Smirnov seems to believe that Voronin is only pursuing his instant electoral objectives, while the Transnistrian leader hasn’t the faintest desire to help Voronin achieve these objectives.