​PACE CO-RAPPORTEURS COMING TO BETTER STUDY SITUATION IN MOLDOVA

Valentina Leskaj (Albania, SOC) and Ogmundur Jonasson (Iceland, UEL), Co-Rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe for the monitoring of obligations and commitments by the Republic of Moldova, are beginning their 3-day visit to Moldova on Monday to scrutinize on site the latest political developments in the republic, including the ongoing preparation to a presidential election.

They will also study the results of legislative activities related to the implementation of the EU-Moldova Association Agreement, the Transnistrian problem and related issues, and the litigations continuing against former Moldovan Prime Minister Vlad Filat and former PACE Member Grigore Petrenco.

The visit program includes meetings with Parliament Chairman Andrian Candu, President of Moldova Nicolae Timofti, Prime Minister Pavel Filip, Deputy Speaker Liliana Palihovici, and the leaders of parliamentary parties.

The guests will meet also with Minister of Justice Vladimir Cebotari, Minister of the Interior Alexandru Jizdan, Moldova’s Political Representative at the Transnistria negotiations, Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration Affairs Gheorghe Balan, with the representatives of the Prosecutor General’s Office, of the Bureau of the People’s Ombudsman, diplomatic corps, civil society and extra-parliamentary parties.

On Tuesday, the PACE Co-Rapporteurs will go to Tiraspol to meet with the Transnistrian administration and civil society representatives.

Infotag’s dossier: Last time, Valentina Leskaj and Ogmundur Jonasson visited Moldova in February 2016. Then, they pointed out a high level of the population’s mistrust in the Moldovan authorities, and urged the government to immediately embark on a real, concrete work to strengthen democratic institutions, first and foremost – to put into life the declared reforms pertaining to an independent judiciary system, development of the media pluralism and independence, struggle against corruption, and banking sector consolidation.

The PACE Co-Rapporteurs also called to a fair and transparent judiciary examination of the cases of Vlad Filat and of the Petrenco group.