I would
first like to congratulate Mr. John Ashe of Antigua
and Barbuda on his election to the presidency of the
General Assembly at its sixty-eighth session and to
wish him every success in his post. I am confident that
his diligence and perspicacity will contribute to our
efforts to address the challenges of today’s world. I
would also like to express my appreciation for the work
of Mr. Vuk Jeremi. in presiding over the Assembly at
its sixty-seventh session and my best wishes for his
further success in his career. And I pay tribute to the
Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, for his tireless
work promoting peace and security, human rights and
prosperity in a sustainable global environment, as
well as for his efforts to make this Organization more
transparent and efficient.
Before the key points of my statement, I would like
to offer my condolences to the victims of the senseless
attack in Kenya.
The United Nations is in the midst of establishing
a new post-2015 development agenda that will continue
and advance the ambitious commitments laid down
in the Millennium Declaration (resolution 55/2). We
welcome the inauguration earlier this week of the High-
level Political Forum on Sustainable Development as a
key step towards the implementation of the outcome
document of the 2012 United Nations Conference on
Sustainable Development (resolution 66/288, annex).
We expect that the high-level dialogue will reinforce
and launch the implementation of the three pillars
of sustainable development — economic prosperity,
social equity and environmental protection — with
the firm commitment of Member States to deliver
on those priority areas. We recall the huge effort it
took for this Organization to agree last year in Rio
on the wide-ranging framework for a world working
cooperatively towards a sustainable future, and we are
hopeful that this effort will yield results sooner rather
than later.
For the Republic of Moldova, sustainable
development is the only way to ensure a decent life
for our people. It follows that we must foster economic
development and solve our energy security problems
while ensuring an ecologically healthy environment.
My Government has been working hard to achieve
those ends, together with its relevant international
partners, particularly the European Union (EU),
which gives us a reference point for our national
policies. We are convinced that political will, mutual
assistance and transparency in every significant issue
can bring just as much positive change to emerging and
developing economies as to poor ones. We reaffirm that
issues such as poverty eradication, human rights and
tolerance, access to quality education without gender
discrimination, decent jobs for all and the preservation
of nature and biodiversity should have special priority
on the United Nations development agenda in the years
to come.
Cooperation between sectors is also a key issue,
which is why international partners and the donor
community, including the private sector and civil
society, should work hand in hand with the United
Nations and Governments in order to mobilize the
necessary resources and use them to target specific
results-oriented projects as well as investments in
essential areas.
I would also like to touch on the problems of
migration and population movement. The United
Nations has acknowledged more than once that
migration can benefit the development of countries of
origin as much as that of countries of destination, if
international cooperation is strengthened and suitable
policies are put in place. That is certainly the case
with the Republic of Moldova, where migration has
contributed to our macroeconomic stability in recent
years.
At the same time, we are living through a period
of considerable change that is likely to influence the
demographic, economic, social and security aspects
of our population. There is no doubt that investing
in human capital is fundamentally a way out of
demographic volatility and an indispensable condition
for our country’s prosperity, while ensuring respect
for human rights. That is how we aim to reduce the
interdependence between development and migration
flows and to create an environment conducive to
community development, including small and medium-
size businesses, with financial aid awarded directly
from the State budget.
However, I would also like to draw the attention
of the Assembly to the positive examples derived from
the mobility partnership between the Republic of
Moldova and the European Union. That initiative has
strengthened the Government’s capacity to formulate
and implement migration policies, find shared priorities
with the EU and develop innovative and strategic
legislative initiatives, based on best practices. We must
definitely continue in that spirit, which is the only way
to arrive at mutually acceptable solutions for regular
and circulating migration that can benefit our citizens,
while ensuring that human rights are protected and
social security guaranteed.
I would like to mention here one of the most
significant achievements of the Assembly, the adoption
of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), which was made
possible after several years of intense debate and
negotiation on the regulation of the world’s arms trade.
The Republic of Moldova has signed the ATT, and
we hope that the rapid entry into force of the Treaty
will make the global arms trade more transparent and
legitimate. The ATT could be a great step forward
in controlling the proliferation and illicit circulation
of weapons, especially in vulnerable areas and in
areas that do not respect the constitutional system of
sovereign States.
In addition, the Government is working closely with
its European and international partners, in particular
with Germany’s Federal Office of Economics and
Export Control and the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe, to review and amend national
legislation on the export control of dual-use goods in
order to adopt the best international standards and rely
on the best international experience in that field.
As a member of the Human Rights Council, my
country has completed the first cycle of the universal
periodic review, which is, in our opinion, one of the
best exercises for monitoring and evaluating the
results of national human rights institutions and
mechanisms. At the same time, we agreed to undertake
new commitments to meet the challenges involved in
implementing the recommendations of the universal
periodic review.
The Republic of Moldova continues to advocate for
a review of the human rights situation by all countries
and States and believes that a robust, apolitical and
impartial Human Rights Council should exercise
greater authority, especially in cases of serious human
rights violations, and should provide guidance on the
implementation of the best practices and standards in
this area.
My Government is pleased to announce the fourth
seminar of Francophone countries, to be held at the
beginning of 2014, in Chisinau, our capital, to discuss
the results of and lessons learned from the first cycle of
the universal periodic review. We hope that the findings
of that seminar will contribute to the advancement,
strengthening and improvement of the universal
periodic review as a unique mechanism for the review
of human rights practices in all States members of the
International Organization of la Francophonie.
(spoke in English)
The Republic of Moldova is pursuing an intensive
and comprehensive reform programme in the political,
economic, institutional, legislative, demographic and
judicial areas and others. We are firmly committed
to building a State based on the rule of law, good
governance, transparency and accountability. Through
those difficult efforts, we are becoming a stronger
nation and a better international partner, and we must
keep pushing ahead.
In that connection, we are proud to announce that
the Government has embarked on a new course of
technological modernization to enable direct public
access to Government services. Our aim is to make all
such Government services electronically available to
all citizens by 2020 at any time, from anywhere, using
modern communication technologies and devices such
as computers, mobile phones and interactive payment
offices. Such a system will combat corruption, reduce
unnecessary bureaucracy and ensure true transparency
in the relationship between citizens and public officials.
The Republic of Moldova is among the leaders in
that field, and our efforts have already yielded real
benefits for our citizens with the implementation of our
electronic catalogue for public services, mobile digital
signatures, the Government’s electronic payment portal
and many more services.
The ambitious reform agenda of the Government and
its foreign policy are both directed towards the fulfilment
of our country’s strategic objective — European
integration. At this stage, we have concluded the
negotiations on the Association Agreement with the EU
and its component part, the Deep and Comprehensive
Free Trade Area Agreement, and the initialling of the
texts is going to take place at the upcoming Eastern
Partnership summit to be held in Vilnius in November.
All of those actions — the political association with the
EU, the economic rapprochement and the perspective
of visa-free travel for our citizens — are bringing us
closer to our final goal, namely EU integration, and
they open new perspectives for political and economic
cooperation in the region.
Every year, my delegation brings to the attention
of the Assembly the issue of the protracted conflict
in the Transnistrian region, which has affected my
country ever since independence. As a nation that
values national consolidation and unity, that conflict is
a constant challenge that undermines our development
efforts. The political settlement of the conflict and the
reintegration of the country are our strategic priority.
We envisage uniting the population from both banks of
the Dniester River around shared goals and providing
them with a better future. It also means removing one
of the most fundamental challenges to our national
security, economic development and social cohesion.
Ultimately, resolving the Transnistrian conflict means
guaranteeing secured national borders and opening a
new perspective towards stability and fruitful, bilateral
and equitable relations with our neighbours and
international partners.
Peace and dialogue are fundamental prerequisites
for a political solution to any conflict. Let me emphasize
that there have now been more than two decades of
peace in the region, and we will spare no effort to
preserve that peace. Moldova is fully committed to
dialogue through all available channels. But in order to
achieve the desired outcome, we desperately need trust
within the resolution process and genuine engagement
and commitment from the outside. We advocate for the
continuation of the confidence-building activities that
have been taking place since 2007 with the support of
the United Nations Development Programme and the
European Union, aimed at bridging the gaps between
all stakeholders from both banks and involving local
authorities, business communities and civil society.
The vision of the Government of the Republic
of Moldova for a final solution to the conflict is
unambiguous and inclusive. First, a comprehensive
and viable solution must be based on respect for the
sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country. We
are open to a reasonable compromise on a special status
for the region within the Republic of Moldova, which
would provide the population from the left bank with
a comfortable and guaranteed level of self-governance
in various areas of public life. There should be a single
constitutional, economic and defence space within
the internationally recognized borders of Moldova.
At the same time, the Republic of Moldova should
remain a functional State that continues to advance on
its European path and makes every effort to allow the
population and the business communities from both
banks to benefit equally from our extensive partnership
with the European Union and, hopefully, within the
European Union.
On the conflict resolution matter, we will continue
with renewed impetus to seek solutions in order to ensure
the freedom of movement, improved transportation
links and new and real opportunities for businesses on
both banks of the Dniester. We will also redouble our
efforts to convince our partners to start talks on political
and security issues, including the future status of the
region within the recognized borders of the Republic
of Moldova. Moreover, we will seek to intensify law-
enforcement interaction and preserve stability in the
security zone, and we reaffirm our stance on the need
to transform the current peacekeeping mechanism into
an international civilian mission.
Strengthening respect for human rights is of utmost
importance to us. The report of the United Nations senior
expert on human rights in the Transnistrian region of
the Republic of Moldova, Mr. Thomas Hammarberg,
offers a good road map for joint activities in that regard.
In addition, I would like to reiterate our long-standing
and unwavering call to finalize the withdrawal of the
Russian military forces and ammunition from the
territory of the Republic of Moldova in accordance with
the relevant international commitments.
In conclusion, I would like to express my
Government’s conviction that the future of the region
will be brighter if we unite our efforts in building a
stronger and unified country, open to Europe where
it naturally belongs, and to diversity, tolerance and
economic and market opportunities. We are optimistic
that we can achieve that because there is no better
vision that we could embrace for the well-being of our
people and the consolidation of our nation.
The Republic of Moldova places peace and real,
constructive dialogue above any political goal or
ambition. We follow with great concern the continuing
violence in the Middle East and abhor the loss of so
many lives and futures, which will perhaps irremediably
maim the consciousness of a whole generation, not
only in the conflict zones but worldwide. The refugee
crisis in Syria magnifies the perils of war, Hundreds
of thousands of people have been displaced as they
try to salvage their lives and find peace. My own
country has offered protection to a number of Syrian
refugees, and we recognize the significant burden that
Syria’s neighbours and other receiving countries, many
in Europe, face as they seek to alleviate the Syrian
refugees’ suffering, offer them a better chance for
survival and affirm their basic human rights. It is time
for all sides to take a step back, find a peaceful solution
and build a future for their people rather than pursue
fleeting, treacherous and, so often, deadly political
goals.
In conclusion, I would like to express the hope that
during the current session the members of the Assembly
will succeed in reaching important decisions on topical
issues, such as sustainable development, peace and
security, human rights and many others. My delegation
is willing and open to making its contribution in a
collaborative and constructive way.