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Moldova Weekly News Digest, 5 March 2017

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-On March 2nd, the Republic of Moldova commemorated the start of the armed conflict in the Eastern region, the so-called Transnistria. It was an occasion to commemorate those who fought and died in the armed conflict for defending the integrity and the independence of Moldova against the Russia-backed separatist forces.

On March 2, 1992, the first Moldovan President Mircea Snegur authorized the attack on the separatist groups from Transnistria who were backed by the former 14th Soviet Army, taken under the control of Russia at that moment. On the same date, Moldova was admitted in the United Nations. As Moldova didn’t have armed forces at that time, the legal authorities used the police and volunteers to fight the Transnistrian Guard and cossacks residing in Dubăsari, Bender and Tiraspol. Around 29000 people participated in the armed conflict and some estimate that 287 died. The war ended on 21 July 1992, when Russian President Boris Yeltsin and Moldovan President Mircea Snegur signed the ceasefire, the so-called agreement on the peaceful settlement of the Transnistrian conflict.

In 2017, the Transnistrian war, often referred as the war for defending the independence and territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova, turns 25 years since the beginning. The event was commemorated at Chișinău with solemn marches of soldiers and policemen holding photos of the deceased independence fighters.

-The war was commemorated in the Transnistrian region on 2 of March as the “Day of the beginning of the large-scale aggression of Moldova against the Pridnestrovian Moldovan Republic”. In 2017, the local leader Vadim Krasnoselsky held a speech blaming Moldova for the planned “attempt to destroy the statehood” of Transnistria and mentioning that around 800 residents of the so-called republic died because of the war.

-The tricolor of the Russian Federation will be used and displayed along with that of the so-called Pridnestrovian Moldovan Republic.

Source: novostipmr.com

The draft law proposed by the local government was approved in the first lecture by the Supreme Soviet, the local parliamentary assembly. As mentioned in the draft law, the introduction of use of the Russian flag follows the perseverance of the Pridnednestrovian Moldovan Republic in their way to reunion with the Russian Federation according to the people’s will, expressed at the referendum of 17 September 2006.

-The Operative Group of Russian troops illegally residing in the Transnistrian region of Moldova recently conducted exercises involving the scout soldiers, reads a press-release of the Russian Western Military District.

The scout soldiers were engaged in a simulation conducted in muddy and forest environments.

-On March 4th, the consumer control authority of Russia, Rospotrebnadzor, announced that five wineries from Moldova were accepted to submit wine samples in order to be admitted on the Russian market.

After controls of Rospotrebnadzor and Moldovan authorities, “Cricova”, “Chateau Vartely”, “CASTEL MIMI”, “Lion-Gri” and “Молдюгвин” will be able to send samples for acceptance in the Russian market.

-On March 1st, the President of Moldova, Igor Dodon, declared that the migration authorities of the Russian Federation decided to apply an amnesty to all Moldovan citizens with travel bans. The decision reportedly follows the agreements made by Dodon and Russia President Vladimir Putin during the meeting in January in Moscow.

-On March 1st, the Government of Moldova approved a decision to recall the Ambassador Dumitru Braghiș from the Russian Federation. The decision was not motivated in any way.-Just the very next day, President Dodon proposed to Prime-Minister Filip his foreign policy adviser and current Socialist deputy, Andrei Neguță, for the position of Ambassador of Moldova to the Russian Federation. The two officials talked about the recalling of 10 Ambassadors and the appointing of another 17.

Seems like the Moldovan President Igor Dodon and the Government coalition led by the Democratic Party, opponents in public, started to cooperate in sharing spheres of influence and positions.

-On March 3rd, the President Igor Dodon appointed Artur Gumeniuc to the position of Presidential adviser for defense and national security and Secretary of the Supreme Security Council of Moldova. During the rule of the Communist party between 2001 and 2009, Gumeniuc was the head of Security and Intelligence Service of Moldova, but also member of Service’s College.

On the same day, Dodon approved the list of participants in his Economic Council, fulfilled by his economic and agricultural advisers and a series of representatives of the business sphere, experts and even the former Governor of Moldova’s National Bank, Leonid Talmaci.

-The President of the Democratic Party of Moldova, Vlad Plahotniuc, was elected as one of the 32 Vice-Presidents of the Socialist International at the 25th Congress which took place during 2-4 March in Cartagena, Columbia.

The Moldovan oligarch, known as the grey eminence of the Moldovan politics, is thus joining an important international political family. Plahotniuc was not present at the Congress himself, but was represented by the honorary President of the Moldovan Democrats, Dumitru Diacov.

The Democratic Party of Moldova is member of the Socialist International starting from 2012.

-On March 3rd, the former Governor of the National Bank of Moldova, Leonid Talmaci, was arrested by the anti-corruption prosecutors.

According to the arrest warrant obtained by Deschide.md, Talmaci is accused of belonging to a group of persons who defrauded the National Bureau of Car Insurers of Moldova (BNAA) of goods and funds of at least 10 million lei sent to accounts opened at Moldova-Agroindbank and Moldindconbank. The Buiucani Court of Chișinău issued an warrant for 15 days of preventive arrest. The ex-Governor risks up to 15 years of imprisonment.

-The draft laws on the so-called “capital liberalization” and “fiscal amnesty” were withdrawn from the Parliament by the majority, announced speaker Andrian Candu. The controversial draft laws were reportedly withdrawn because of the several deficiencies found after juridical and economic analyses conducted by local and international experts.

“Several deficiencies were found. Taking them in account, we came to the conclusion of retreating the two drafts regarding the capital liberalization and the fiscal amnesty. Yesterday, together with colleagues from the Parliamentary majority, all who signed on the drafts and initiated them, five deputies, submitted a request of withdrawal”, declared Candu.

-The International Monetary Fund mission led by Ben Kelmanson finished its visit to Moldova and reached a staff-level agreement with the Government of Moldova on the First Review on the $178,7 million finance program.

-On March 3rd, Frontera Resources and the Moldovan Government signed a joint declaration on the exploration, production and development of hydrocarbon resources in the southern Dobrogea Basin.

According to the press-release of the Moldovan Government, Frontera will initially invest some 6 million US dollars in the next 5 years and create around 300 jobs.

-On March 1st, the Government of Moldova approved a series of amendments to the fiscal, social and medical insurance legislation in order to facilitate the implementation of the new Law on IT parks.

According to the new law, the residents of the IT parks will need to pay only a 7% joint tax of their sales, which will include the corporate tax, the income tax, the local taxes, the tax on property and the tax on the use of roads by vehicles registered in Moldova.

-The Government of Moldova will allocate 15,5 million euros for the reconstruction of the dam on Ialpug river next to Comrat, the capital of Gagauzia autonomy.

The money will be directed towards the reconstruction of the dam that crashed under the weight of the heavy flow of water resulted from the melting snow. The dam of the 2,5 million cubic meters accumulation lake was not repaired for more than 60 years.

-On March 3rd, the deputies of Gagauzia People’s Assembly elected Vladimir Kyssa as the head of the local legislative. 18 out of 22 participating deputies voted for Kyssa, who is a representative of Budzhak village.

The other candidate, Mihail Manolov, did not get enough votes- only 4. Some Gagauz deputies like Gyorgyi Leichu from Ceadîr-Lunga said they don’t want to participate in the voting.

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#WorldForUkraine – a map that shows the magnitude of the world’s actions against Russian aggression

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The international community and volunteers from all over te world have launched #WorldForUkraine as a platform that shows the magnitude of the world’s actions against the Russian aggression. In a digital world – it is an interactive map of public support of Ukrainians under the hashtag #WorldForUkraine – rallies, flash mobs, protests around the world. In the physical dimension – it is your opportunity to take to the streets and declare: “No to Putin’s aggression, no to war.”

„Today, along with the political and military support, emotional connection with the civilized world and truthful information are extremely important for Ukraine. The power to do it is in your hands. Join the #WorldForUkraine project and contribute to the victorious battle against the bloodshed inflicted on Ukraine by the aggression of the Russian Federation”, says the „about the project” section of the platform.

Go to the streets — Tell people — Connect and Unite — Become POWERFUL

Volunteers have launched #WorldForUkraine as a platform that shows the magnitude of the world’s actions against Russian aggression. In digital world – it is an INTERACTIVE MAP of public support of Ukrainians worldforukraine.net under the hashtag #WorldForUkraine – rallies, flash mobs, protests around the world. In the physical dimension – it is your opportunity to take to the streets and declare: “No to Putin’s aggression, no to war.” There you may find information about past and future rallies in your city in support of Ukraine. This is a permanent platform for Ukrainian diaspora and people all over the world concerned about the situation in Ukraine.

So here’s a couple of things you could do yourself to help:

* if there is a political rally in your city, then participate in it and write about it on social media with geolocation and the hashtag #WorldForUkraine

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How is Moldova managing the big influx of Ukrainian refugees? The authorities’ plan, explained 

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From 24th to 28th of February, 71 359 Ukrainian citizens entered the territory of Republic of Moldova. 33 173 of them left the country. As of this moment, there are 38 186 Ukrainian citizens in Moldova, who have arrived over the past 100 hours. 

The Moldovan people and authorities have organized themselves quickly from the first day of war between Russia and Ukraine. However, in the event of a prolonged armed conflict and a continuous influx of Ukrainian refugees, the efforts and donations need to be efficiently managed. Thus, we inquired about Moldova’s long-term plan and the state’s capacity to receive, host, and treat a bigger number of refugees. 

On February 26th, the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Moldova approved the Regulation of organization and functioning of the temporary Placement Center for refugees and the staffing and expenditure rules. According to the Regulation, the Centers will have the capacity of temporary hosting and feeding at least 20 persons, for a maximum of 3 months, with the possibility of extending this period. The Centers will also offer legal, social, psychological, and primary medical consultations to the refugees. The Center’s activity will be financed from budget allocations, under Article 19 of Provision no. 1 of the Exceptional Situations Commission from February 24th, 2022, and from other sources of funding that do not contravene applicable law.

The Ministry of Inner Affairs and the Government of Moldova facilitated the organization of the volunteers’ group “Moldova for Peace”.  Its purpose is to receive, offer assistance and accommodation to the Ukrainian refugees. The group is still working on creating a structure, registering and contacting volunteers, etc. It does not activate under a legal umbrella. 

Lilia Nenescu, one of the “Moldova for Peace” volunteers, said that the group consists of over 20 people. Other 1700 registered to volunteer by filling in this form, which is still available. The group consists of several departments: 

The volunteers’ department. Its members act as fixers: they’re responsible for connecting the people in need of assistance with the appropriate department. Some of the volunteers are located in the customs points. “The Ministry of Inner Affairs sends us every day the list of the customs points where our assistance is needed, and we mobilize the volunteers”, says Lilia Nenescu. 

The Goods Department manages all the goods donated by the Moldavian citizens. The donations are separated into categories: non-perishable foods and non-food supplies. The volunteers of this department sort the goods into packages to be distributed. 

The Government intends to collect all the donations in four locations. The National Agency for Food Safety and the National Agency for Public Health will ensure mechanisms to confirm that all the deposited goods comply with safety and quality regulations. 

The Service Department operates in 4 directions and needs the volunteer involvement of specialists in psychology, legal assistance (the majority of the refugees only have Ukrainian ID and birth certificates of their children); medical assistance; translation (a part of the refugees are not Ukrainian citizens). 

According to Elena Mudrîi, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Health, so far there is no data about the number of  Covid-19 positive refugees. She only mentioned two cases that needed outpatient medical assistance: a pregnant woman and the mother of a 4-day-old child. 

The Accommodation Department. The volunteers are waiting for the centralized and updated information from the Ministry of Labor about the institutions offering accommodation, besides the houses offered by individuals. 

The Transport Department consists of drivers organized in groups. They receive notifications about the number of people who need transportation from the customs points to the asylum centers for refugees.

The municipal authorities of Chișinău announced that the Ukrainian children refugees from the capital city will be enrolled in educational institutions. The authorities also intend to create Day-Care Centers for children, where they will be engaged in educational activities and will receive psychological assistance. Besides, the refugees from the municipal temporary accommodation centers receive individual and group counseling. 

In addition to this effort, a group of volunteers consisting of Ana Gurău, Ana Popapa, and Andrei Lutenco developed, with the help of Cristian Coșneanu, the UArefugees platform, synchronized with the responses from this form. On the first day, 943 people offered their help using the form, and 110 people asked for help. According to Anna Gurău, the volunteers communicate with the Government in order to update the platform with the missing data. 

Translation from Romanian by Natalia Graur

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FC Sheriff Tiraspol victory: can national pride go hand in hand with political separatism?

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A new football club has earned a leading place in the UEFA Champions League groups and starred in the headlines of worldwide football news yesterday. The Football Club Sheriff Tiraspol claimed a win with the score 2-1 against Real Madrid on the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid. That made Sheriff Tiraspol the leader in Group D of the Champions League, including the football club in the groups of the most important European interclub competition for the first time ever.

International media outlets called it a miracle, a shock and a historic event, while strongly emphasizing the origin of the team and the existing political conflict between the two banks of the Dniester. “Football club from a pro-Russian separatist enclave in Moldova pulls off one of the greatest upsets in Champions League history,” claimed the news portals. “Sheriff crushed Real!” they said.

Moldovans made a big fuss out of it on social media, splitting into two groups: those who praised the team and the Republic of Moldova for making history and those who declared that the football club and their merits belong to Transnistria – a problematic breakaway region that claims to be a separate country.

Both groups are right and not right at the same time, as there is a bunch of ethical, political, social and practical matters that need to be considered.

Is it Moldova?

First of all, every Moldovan either from the right or left bank of Dniester (Transnistria) is free to identify himself with this achievement or not to do so, said Vitalie Spranceana, a sociologist, blogger, journalist and urban activist. According to him, boycotting the football club for being a separatist team is wrong.

At the same time, “it’s an illusion to think that territory matters when it comes to football clubs,” Spranceana claimed. “Big teams, the ones included in the Champions League, have long lost their connection both with the countries in which they operate, and with the cities in which they appeared and to which they linked their history. […] In the age of globalized commercial football, teams, including the so-called local ones, are nothing more than global traveling commercial circuses, incidentally linked to cities, but more closely linked to all sorts of dirty, semi-dirty and cleaner cash flows.”

What is more important in this case is the consistency, not so much of citizens, as of politicians from the government who have “no right to celebrate the success of separatism,” as they represent “the national interests, not the personal or collective pleasures of certain segments of the population,” believes the political expert Dionis Cenusa. The victory of FC Sheriff encourages Transnistrian separatism, which receives validation now, he also stated.

“I don’t know how it happens that the “proud Moldovans who chose democracy”, in their enthusiasm for Sheriff Tiraspol’s victory over Real Madrid, forget the need for total and unconditional withdrawal of Russian troops from Transnistria!” declared the journalist Vitalie Ciobanu.

Nowadays, FC Sheriff Tiraspol has no other choice than to represent Moldova internationally. For many years, the team used the Moldovan Football Federation in order to be able to participate in championships, including international ones. That is because the region remains unrecognised by the international community. However, the club’s victory is presented as that of Transnistria within the region, without any reference to the Republic of Moldova, its separatist character being applied in this case especially.

Is it a victory?

In fact, FC Sheriff Tiraspol joining the Champions League is a huge image breakthrough for the Transnistrian region, as the journalist Madalin Necsutu claimed. It is the success of the Tiraspol Club oligarchic patrons. From the practical point of view, FC Sheriff Tiraspol is a sports entity that serves its own interests and the interests of its owners, being dependent on the money invested by Tiraspol (but not only) oligarchs.

Here comes the real dilemma: the Transnistrian team, which is generously funded by money received from corruption schemes and money laundering, is waging an unequal fight with the rest of the Moldovan football clubs, the journalist also declared. The Tiraspol team is about to raise 15.6 million euro for reaching the Champions League groups and the amounts increase depending on their future performance. According to Necsutu, these money will go directly on the account of the club, not to the Moldovan Football Federation, creating an even bigger gab between FC Sheriff and other football clubs from Moldova who have much more modest financial possibilities.

“I do not see anything useful for Moldovan football, not a single Moldovan player is part of FC Sheriff Tiraspol. I do not see anything beneficial for the Moldovan Football Federation or any national team.”

Is it only about football?

FC Sheriff Tiraspol, with a total estimated value of 12.8 million euros, is controlled by Victor Gusan and Ilya Kazmala, being part of Sheriff Holding – a company that controls the trade of wholesale, retail food, fuels and medicine by having monopolies on these markets in Transnistria. The holding carries out car trading activities, but also operates in the field of construction and real estate. Gusan’s people also hold all of the main leadership offices in the breakaway region, from Parliament to the Prime Minister’s seat or the Presidency.

The football club is supported by a holding alleged of smuggling, corruption, money laundering and organised crime. Moldovan media outlets published investigations about the signals regarding the Sheriff’s holding involvement in the vote mobilization and remuneration of citizens on the left bank of the Dniester who participated in the snap parliamentary elections this summer and who were eager to vote for the pro-Russian socialist-communist bloc.

Considering the above, there is a great probability that the Republic of Moldova will still be represented by a football club that is not identified as being Moldovan, being funded from obscure money, growing in power and promoting the Transnistrian conflict in the future as well.

Photo: unknown

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