FILIP GOVERNMENT PASSES TWO DECISIONS IN USA’S FAVOR

The current Government of Pavel Filip has passed two decisions to please the United States namely on transferring the Republic of Moldova’s Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv over to Jerusalem and on signing an agreement on selling to the USA the land plot of the former National Stadium of Moldova for building a new American Embassy.

The Government meeting was held behind closed doors on Tuesday night, though the years-traditional day for such assemblies is Wednesday.

The governmental press release only said that the decisions had been taken, but there was no mention about when or how they will be put into life. The document only said that the Government took the land-plot decision because it sought to prevent the possible blocking of this Moldova’s long-pending obligation due to the current political crisis.

The Moldovan governmental Resolution, saying that the stadium territory will be given for the construction of the new complex of the American Embassy, was approved yet on July 18, 2018. The document permitted a complete demolition of the National Stadium remnants and the selling of the land plot to the United States for embassy building. The 5.18-ha-large land plot is situated in central Chisinau only some 300 meters off the city’s main street. Now the Government is to determine the cost of land, hold negotiations and draw up a contract on sale/purchase of the land. Last year, the land price was believed to be US$15-20 million.

The National Stadium was commissioned in 1952. It had a capacity of over 20,000 spectators. The republic’s leading football club Nistru, which had played in the Major League of the USSR Football Championships for several years, used to play its matches at the Stadium. However, all the sportive installations inside the stadium territory were demolished in 2007 when Moldova was headed by President Vladimir Voronin. He promised then that already by 2009 the capital city will receive an ultra-modern football arena instead of the ageing old Stadium. So, its Central Arch (entrance) and an ugly fence around the land plot were only what were remaining of the object throughout the past 12 years, with tall weeds growing all over inside and with garbage heaps growing.

Local analysts presume that the outgoing Moldovan Government made this step to please the United States, which can play an important role in overcoming the current political crisis in Moldova. The U.S. Department of State has already expressed support for the new parliamentary majority and the new Government of Premier Maya Sandu. But the United States Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Moldova, Dereck Hogan, has been in Washington DC for one week already. He is expected to return to Chisinau on Wednesday, and will begin holding meetings with the leaders of Moldova’s main political forces.