Politics
Remarks by President Bush and Romanian President Basescu in Photo Opportunity
Reading Time: 7 minutesThe President and I are friends Romania and the United States are friends and were allies And as such weve had an in depth discussion about a variety of subjects We talked about the
WASHINGTON, July 27 /Christian Newswire/ — The following text is of remarks by President Bush and Romanian President Basescu in a photo opportunity:
Oval Office
11:58 A.M. EDT
PRESIDENT BUSH: The Prime Minister [sic] and I will take a couple of questions a side, after opening statements — Mr. President, excuse me. Welcome.
PRESIDENT BASESCU: Thank you.
PRESIDENT BUSH: The President and I are friends. Romania and the United States are friends, and we’re allies. And as such, we’ve had an in-depth discussion about a variety of subjects. We talked about the international scene and how we can work together to promote democracy and peace. We talked about the neighborhood, and I assured him that the United States position on Moldova is that we support the territorial integrity of Moldova.
We talked about bilateral relations. One of, of course, the issues that’s on the President’s mind is the visa policy. He was very articulate and strong in his position that the United States must be forward leaning when it comes to granting visas to the citizens of Romania. I listened very carefully. I assured him that there is a way forward, there’s a road map that we’d like to work with our friends and allies on and we will pay very careful attention to what the President said.
We’ve got a lot on our agenda because we’re friends. I do want to thank the people of Romania for their strong support to the young democracy in Iraq and Afghanistan. And your contribution, Mr. President, has been worthwhile and meaningful and I know the Iraqi people are grateful, and so am I.
So welcome back to the Oval Office.
PRESIDENT BASESCU: Thank you very much, Mr. President. In fact, we meet each other after one year — compare it with what we discussed last year, we conclude that both parties fulfilled assumed obligations. Romania will continue to remain an ally of the United States in supporting the democracy in Iraq and Afghanistan, in supporting democratic regimes in these countries like a key of freedom on the area.
At same time, we analyze together the bilateral relations, and the problems which are around the Black Sea, around the region where Romania exists; we analyzed the western Balkans situation, we analyzed the situation of Moldova and the necessity having Republic of Moldova in (inaudible) territory unaffected by anybody.
At same time we conclude that we have to continue our cooperation in economical area, in political area and in security area. And at the same time, Romania will contribute with peace possibilities in spreading the democracy around Romania, mainly on the Black Sea (inaudible).
That’s all in a few words. I thank you very much, Mr. President, for our discussion.
PRESIDENT BUSH: Thank you, sir.
Jennifer.
Q Thank you, sir. Israeli’s Justice Minister said that the lack of a call from the international community for an immediate cease-fire essentially gives Israel a green light to push harder. And the top general there says there will be more several more weeks of fighting. Is your administration okay with these things?
PRESIDENT BUSH: I believe this. I believe that, as Condi said yesterday, the Middle East is littered with agreements that just didn’t work. And now is the time to address the root cause of the problem. And the root cause of the problem is terrorist groups trying to stop the advance of democracies.
Hezbollah attacked Israel. I believe Hezbollah — I know Hezbollah is connected to Iran. And now is the time for the world to confront these dangers. We care deeply about the loss of life. And I’m troubled by the destruction that has taken place in Lebanon. You know, we grieve when Lebanese families lose innocent life. I’ve urged that there be caution when it comes to dealing with Hezbollah. On the other hand, I fully understand that whatever is done diplomatically must address the root cause. And the root cause is terrorist activities. One of the things I said initially when these incidents first started happening, was that it’s important for the Lebanese democracy to survive and become strong.
And so what you’re watching is American policy aiming to address the root cause and aiming to strengthen Lebanese democracy, so that we can have peace. I view this as a clash of forms of government. I see people who can’t stand the thought of democracy taking hold in parts of — in the Middle East. And as democracy begins to advance, they use terrorist tactics to stop it.
And so I appreciate my Secretary of State’s hard work. There’s a lot of diplomacy being done. There’s a lot of discussions about how to go forward. Yesterday’s meetings were successful in this way: It showed a diplomatic way forward. And so you’re seeing a lot of diplomacy take place.
But our objective is to make sure those who use terrorist tactics are not rewarded, and at the same time, help those who have suffered as a result of the responses.
Q So several more weeks of fighting is okay to achieve those goals?
PRESIDENT BUSH: My goal is exactly what I said it was, and that is to hopefully end this as quickly as possible, and at the same time, making sure there’s a lasting peace — not a fake peace, not a fake, you know, kind of circumstances that make us all feel better, and then, sure enough, the problem arises again. And that’s the goal of the United States. And we’re working toward that end. And we’re working hard diplomatically. Look, as soon as we can get this resolved the better, obviously, but it must be real. And it can’t be fake. And so there’s a serious diplomatic effort going forward, led ably by my Secretary of State.
Want to ask somebody from the Romanian press?
Q Is there any role for the Romanian — for Romania in the American foreign policy strategy, besides its participation within the American-led coalitions in Iraq and Afghanistan?
PRESIDENT BUSH: Absolutely. I spent a lot of time listening to my friend’s advice on the Black Sea region. We’re going to spend time over lunch talking about specific issues related to the Balkans. And Romania’s role in this area and in her neighborhood is a vital role, one that I listen very carefully to his advice on, because this area of the world is one where there’s emerging democracies, and it’s an area of the world that is where there has been historical conflict, and it’s an area of the world where we’ve got to pay attention to it. And so the Romanian role is a vital role.
And so, as I say, we’re going to spend time strategizing about the role over lunch.
Holland.
Q Sir, thank you. Dr. Zawahiri has surfaced again with a new videotape urging Muslims to fight and become martyrs, because of the conflict in Lebanon. What’s your reaction to that?
PRESIDENT BUSH: My answer is, I’m not surprised people who use terrorist tactics would start speaking out. It doesn’t surprise me. I am — Zawahiri’s attitude about life is that there shouldn’t be free societies. And he believes that people ought to use terrorist tactics, the killing of innocent people to achieve his objective. And so I’m not surprised he feels like he needs to lend his voice to terrorist activities that are trying to prevent democracies from moving forward.
Al Qaeda has made it clear about their vision for the future, and it’s one that is exactly opposite to what the American people believe and the Romanian President believes, and that is people ought to be free — free to worship, free to speak their minds, free to participate in the process.
And so, you know, here’s a fellow who is in a remote region of the world putting out statements basically encouraging people to use terrorist tactics to kill innocent people to achieve political objectives. And the United States of America stands strong against Mr. Zawahiri and his types.
Q Mr. President, about a visa waiver, how soon can Romanians expect to travel to U.S. without a visa? And when taking this decision that Romanians are expecting, are you going to take under consideration, for instance, that Romanians will probably want to come and work in the United States in huge numbers? Is that the problem for the United States?
PRESIDENT BUSH: No, no. It’s an interesting question you bring up, however. I told the President we’re dealing with an immigration debate here in the United States and that I’m hopeful that we’ll get a comprehensive immigration bill that will accommodate people who want to work here, but we want them to work here on a temporary basis and in a legal way.
No, the issue with the visa policy first started because of what was an overstay problem based upon a history of people traveling to the United States during a different era. In other words, a lot of people during the previous era — that era would be one defined by a non-free society versus a free society — would come to the United States on a temporary visa and then would overstay their visa. And we have laws on the books that say countries who have people come and overstay their visas, therefore, must be viewed differently than others.
Now, one of the first changes we have made is that we have said, okay, that’s a bygone era, now let’s look toward the future. Secondly, we’ve said to countries, we want to work together on a road map to make sure the visa policy will work. And that’s where we are with Romania, as well as other countries. And so each country has to develop its own road map based upon its own particular circumstances.
And that’s what we’re doing, Mr. President. The answer is, as quickly as we can get these issues resolved, the better. But we’ve still got work to do.
PRESIDENT BASESCU: If you would allow me, Mr. President, mainly for the American journalists. Romanians don’t look at the United States like immigration area. In fact, as a member of European Union, the Romanians have a lot of places to work around Romania.
The problem that we have now — and for this reason I raised the subject of visas in discussions with the President — is in connection with our students, which are more and more present in American universities, with our intelligent people which are working in IBM or in Oracle, with our business people — and if you look at the volume of the business in the last three years, was three times increased. And now a businessperson from Romania, in order to obtain a visa coming in the United States discussing about developing the business, needs a minimum three months.
And, in fact, Romanians don’t look at the United States like a place to immigrate illegally, or to find a working place. This problem was settled for Romanians in Europe. We already have the people spread around Europe, like Romania has people from Europe, from other countries which work in Romania. So Romania will not be illegal immigration problem, or a problem from the point of view of jobs, which exist for the United States.
Thank you.
PRESIDENT BUSH: Good job. Thank you.
END 12:12 P.M. EDT
//www.christiannewswire.com
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
Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, Natalia Gavrilita, together with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nicu Popescu, pay an official visit to Brussels, between September 27-28, being invited by High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell Fontelles.
Today, Prime Minister had a meeting with Charles Michel, President of the European Council. The Moldovan PM thanked the senior European official for the support of the institution in strengthening democratic processes, reforming the judiciary and state institutions, economic recovery and job creation, as well as increasing citizens’ welfare. Natalia Gavrilita expressed her confidence that the current visit laid the foundations for boosting relations between the Republic of Moldova and the European Union, so that, in the next period, it would be possible to advance high-level dialogues on security, justice and energy. Officials also exchanged views on priorities for the Eastern Partnership Summit, to be held in December.
“The EU is open to continue to support the Republic of Moldova and the ambitious reform agenda it proposes. Moldova is an important and priority partner for us,” said Charles Michel.
Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita also met with Paolo Gentiloni, European Commissioner for Economy, expressing her gratitude for the support received through the OMNIBUS macro-financial assistance program. The two officials discussed the need to advance the recovery of money from bank fraud, to strengthen sustainable mechanisms for supporting small and medium-sized enterprises in Moldova, and to standardize the customs and taxes as one of the main conditions for deepening cooperation with the EU in this field.
Additionally, Prime Minister spoke about the importance of the Eastern Partnership and the Deep Free Trade Agreement, noting that the Government’s policies are aimed at developing an economic model aligned with the European economic model, focused on digitalization, energy efficiency and the green economy.
A common press release of the Moldovan Prime Minister with High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the Commission, Josep Borrell Fontelles, took place today, where the agenda of Moldova’s reforms and the main priorities to focus on in the coming months were presented: judiciary reform; fighting COVID-19 pandemic; promoting economic recovery and conditions for growth and job creation; strengthening state institutions and resilience of the country.
“I am here to relaunch the dialogue between my country and the European Union. Our partnership is strong, but I believe there is room for even deeper cooperation and stronger political, economic and sectoral ties. I am convinced that this partnership is the key to the prosperity of our country and I hope that we will continue to strengthen cooperation.”
The Moldovan delegation met Didier Reynders, European Commissioner for Justice. Tomorrow, there are scheduled common meetings with Oliver Varhelyi, European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, Adina Valean, European Commissioner for Transport and Kadri Simson, European Commissioner for Energy.
Prime Minister will also attend a public event, along with Katarina Mathernova, Deputy Director-General for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations.
Photo: gov.md
Politics
Promo-LEX about Maia Sandu’s UN speech: The president must insist on appointing a rapporteur to monitor the situation of human rights in Transnistria
The President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, pays an official visit to New York, USA, between September 21-22. There, she participates in the work of the United Nations General Assembly. According to a press release of the President’s Office, the official will deliver a speech at the tribune of the United Nations.
In this context, the Promo-LEX Association suggested the president to request the appointment of a special rapporteur in order to monitor the situation of human rights in the Transnistrian region. According to Promo-LEX, the responsibility for human rights violations in the Transnistrian region arises as a result of the Russian Federation’s military, economic and political control over the Tiraspol regime.
“We consider it imperative to insist on the observance of the international commitments assumed by the Russian Federation regarding the withdrawal of the armed forces and ammunition from the territory of the country,” the representatives of Promo-LEX stated. They consider the speech before the UN an opportunity “to demand the observance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the Russian Federation with reference to this territory which is in its full control.”
“It is important to remember about the numerous cases of murder, torture, ill-treatment, forced enlistment in illegal military structures, the application of pseudo-justice in the Transnistrian region, all carried out under the tacit agreement of the Russian Federation. These findings stem from dozens of rulings and decisions issued by the European Court of Human Rights, which found that Russia is responsible for human rights violations in the region.”
The association representatives expressed their hope that the president of the country would give priority to issues related to the human rights situation in the Transnistrian region and would call on relevant international actors to contribute to guaranteeing fundamental human rights and freedoms throughout Moldova.
They asked Maia Sandu to insist on the observance of the obligation to evacuate the ammunition and the military units of the Russian Federation from the territory of the Republic of Moldova, to publicly support the need for the Russian Federation to implement the ECtHR rulings on human rights violations in the Transnistrian region, and to request the appointment of an UN Human Rights Council special rapporteur to monitor the human rights situation in the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova.
**
The Promo-LEX Association concluded that 14 out of 25 actions planned within the National Action Plan for the years 2018–2022 concerning respecting human rights in Transnistria were not carried out by the responsible authorities.
The association expressed its concern and mentioned that there are a large number of delays in the planned results. “There is a lack of communication and coordination between the designated institutions, which do not yet have a common vision of interaction for the implementation of the plan.”
Promo-LEX requested the Government of the Republic of Moldova to re-assess the reported activities and to take urgent measures, “which would exclude superficial implementation of future activities and increase the level of accountability of the authorities.”
Photo: peacekeeping.un.org
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