It is with
great honour and a special sense of responsibility that
I address the General Assembly today. My country has
chosen a European future, and that will make Moldova
stronger and more prosperous. This year we have
signed, ratified and are already provisionally applying
the new Association Agreement with the European
Union (EU). The Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade
Area, an integral part of the Agreement, opens new
perspectives for Moldova’s access to European and
world markets. That will make our economy more
competitive, stimulate economic growth and integrate
Moldova into the mainstream of global trade, with all
its benefits. The implementation of the Agreement is
our short-term priority. Our next goal is to apply for
full-fledged European Union membership.
Now that we have defined our path and established
the framework for our further development, we must
focus on systemic improvements. Strengthening
democracy and the rule of law, improving our investment
climate, developing rural areas and enhancing our
energy security — those are the objectives to be
accomplished in the near term.
We are grateful to all our development partners
for supporting Moldova’s modernization agenda.
They have helped us to strengthen good governance,
promote justice and domestic reforms, support the
modernization of the agricultural sector and implement
energy interconnection projects. Just recently, a new
pipeline was completed that connects Moldova via
Romania to the European Union’s gas network. That
and other strategic projects connecting Moldova to
Europe, including power grids, roads and bridges, will
be implemented in coming years.
Our ambitions, however, will not be fulfilled if
the benefits of closer association with Europe are not
fully shared by our citizens living in the Transnistrian
region of the Republic of Moldova. Just like the rest
of Moldova, people and businesses in that region want
the development opportunities that association with the
European Union clearly brings. The Free Trade Area
with the European Union will increase production
and exports. Jobs, salaries, pensions and benefits will
therefore rise significantly.
Visa-free travel by all Moldovan citizens to the
European Union as of April this year, along with new
trade and investment opportunities, are just a few real
examples that demonstrate that Moldova is on the
right track. However, alongside the conflict-settlement
process, we will continue focusing on building
confidence among citizens, the private sector and all
other stakeholders of the entire country.
Against that background, the resolution of the
Transnistrian conflict and the reintegration of Moldova
is another top priority for my Government. In our effort
to resolve the conflict, our goal remains the same: to
achieve a political settlement based on respect for the
sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic
of Moldova, with a special political status for its
Transnistrian region. All of our international partners
involved in the settlement process agree on those basic
principles. And today more than ever before, we need
their united and proactive support to help solve that
protracted conflict.
Discussions on the political and security aspects
of the conflict should be resumed without delay
within the 5+2 format for negotiations. There are other
outstanding issues that create additional obstacles to the
settlement process. The continuing presence of Russia’s
military forces and ammunition in the Transnistrian
region, contrary to international commitments and the
Constitution of the Republic of Moldova, is one of those
issues. We expect the Russian Federation to finalize the
withdrawal process without any further delay. We also
believe that bringing the peacekeeping arrangement in
line with international standards by transforming the
current operation into a civilian multinational mission
would provide a positive impulse to the settlement
process.
Moldova seeks to develop fruitful relations with
all its partners in the East and West. In the past five
years, my Government has promoted a coherent and
predictable foreign-policy agenda, which is based
on our European integration choice. Regrettably,
Moldova currently faces unjustified trade restrictions
on the export of its agricultural products to the Russian
Federation. Trade relations in the whole Commonwealth
of Independent States (CIS) region have been affected,
but we nevertheless hope that a continuing dialogue
with our Russian partners, based on the World Trade
Organization and CIS rules, will contribute to the
resumption of normal trade relations with Russia. We
are grateful for the assistance of our trading partners,
particularly the European Union, for supporting the
Government in its efforts to lessen the immediate
impact of the restrictions on Moldovan farmers and
producers. Full liberalization of the European Union
market for Moldovan wines and agriculture products,
as well as a new free-trade-area agreement with Turkey,
will contribute to market diversification in the future.
We will continue to explore new trade partnerships in
the world.
We have followed with great concern the
developments in Ukraine. A year ago, no one could
have imagined that Ukraine would be plunged into such
a painful and profound crisis. At the very same time,
Ukraine, like Moldova, has also established a path for
European integration, and that offers a real chance
for improving people’s well-being while facilitating
reconciliation, reconstruction and security. We believe
that the sovereign choices of all members of the
international community should be respected.
We recall the need for all members of the
international community to respect the provisions of
the Charter of the United Nations and international law.
Like many other countries, we will never recognize
the annexation of Crimea. We also encourage any
involvement by the international community, in
particular by the United Nations and the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe, in actions to
stabilize the situation on the ground. The sovereignty
and territorial integrity of our neighbour Ukraine must
be respected.
Today we face new and increasingly complex
security challenges. Moldova is doing its part to address
those challenges by making its own contribution to the
promotion of peace, security and stability in Europe
and in the international arena. We have taken concrete
measures to support United Nations, EU and NATO
efforts in that regard. This year, Moldova deployed 41
soldiers to the NATO-led International Security Force
in Kosovo operation, under the authority of the Security
Council, and contributed to the EU Training Mission in
Mali. That represents a new level of commitment by
Moldova to promoting international peace, security and
stability.
Moldova is committed to protecting human
rights at the national and international levels. We
have made steady progress in the implementation of
the relevant United Nations special procedures and
recommendations. Moldova has volunteered to present
a mid-term evaluation report on the Universal Periodic
Review recommendations in the area of human rights
by October.
At the same time, a national strategic programme
for demographic security until 2025 is currently being
implemented in the Republic of Moldova. We want to
become a regional centre of excellence for the best
policies in reproductive health and to contribute to the
objectives of the United Nations Population Fund.
Moldova also shares its best practices on migration
and development with other countries in the eastern and
southern neighbourhoods of the European Union. We
are actively engaged in the work of the Global Forum
on Migration and Development.
Moldova also supports the advancement of a
free and independent society, including freedom of
expression on the Internet and in other media. For
the past three years, my country has had one of the
best and most affordable Internet connections in the
world. More than 65 per cent of Moldovans access the
Internet at least once a day. That is why I am proud
that Moldova was accepted this year as a member of the
Freedom Online Coalition. Moldova’s membership of
the Open Government Partnership is another important
contribution to the commitments made with regard to
the Millennium Development Goals. We are currently
implementing a comprehensive e-governance agenda.
Today, Moldova is one of the first countries of the
region, and among the first 16 countries in the world, to
have an open data portal. Just recently, in August, the
Government of Moldova approved the new Open Data
Policy in line with the Open Data Charter of the Group
of Eight.
We have taken one step forward in agreeing on
a new post-2015 development agenda and a new set
of sustainable development goals. My country will
continue to contribute to that effort by hosting, in
February 2015, an event at which we will consolidate
and endorse the conclusions of the high-level dialogue
on capacity-building and sustainable development.
Let me reiterate Moldova’s commitment to
promoting the core principles of the Organization and
to assisting the international community in delivering
on the greatest promise of the United Nations — peace,
justice, security and development for the people of the
world.