Politics
US Senate resolution 69—expressing the sense of the senate about the actions of Russia regarding Georgia and Moldova
Reading Time: 5 minutes March 2005: US Senate resolution 69—expressing the sense of the senate about the actions of Russia regarding Georgia and Moldova and the need for the Russian troops to be withdrawn from these countrie
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD
SENATE
PAGE S2044
March 3, 2005
Senator Richard LUGAR submitted the following resolution, which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:
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Whereas the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) evolved from the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), which was established in 1975, and the official change of its name from CSCE to OSCE became effective on January 1, 1995;
Whereas the OSCE is the largest regional security organization in the world with 55 participating States from Europe, Central Asia, and North America;
Whereas the 1975 Helsinki Final Act, the 1990 Charter of Paris, and the 1999 Charter for European Security adopted in Istanbul are the principle documents of OSCE, defining a steadily evolving and maturing set of political commitments based on a broad understanding of security;
Whereas the OSCE is active in early warning, conflict prevention, crisis management, and post-conflict rehabilitation;
Whereas Russia and Georgia agreed at the 1999 OSCE Summit in Istanbul on specific steps regarding the withdrawal from Georgia of Russian forces, including military equipment limited by the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE), and committed to resolve other key issues relating to the status and duration of the Russian military presence in Georgia;
Whereas Russia has completed some of the withdrawal from Georgia of military equipment limited by the CFE Treaty in excess of agreed levels, but has yet to agree with Georgia on the status of Russian forces at the Gudauata base and the duration of the Russian presence at the Akhalkalaki and Batumi bases;
Whereas Russia completed the withdrawal from Moldova of its declared military equipment limited by the CFE Treaty, but has yet to withdraw all its military forces from Moldova, as Russia committed to do at the 1999 OSCE Summit in Istanbul;
Whereas Russia made virtually no progress in 2004 toward its commitment to withdraw its military forces from Moldova;
Whereas Moldova has called for a genuinely international peacekeeping force to replace the Russian forces, and insists on the implementation by Russia of its commitment to withdraw its remaining military forces from Moldova;
Whereas Secretary of State Colin Powell stated at the December 2004 OSCE Ministerial in Sofia, Bulgaria, that “Russia’s commitments to withdraw its military forces from Moldova, and to agree with Georgia on the duration of the Russian military presence there, remain unfulfilled. A core principle of the CFE Treaty is host country agreement to the stationing of forces. The United States remains committed to moving ahead with ratification of the Adapted CFE Treaty, but we will only do so after all the Istanbul commitments on Georgia and Moldova have been met. And we stand ready to assist with reasonable costs associated with the implementation of those commitments.”;
Whereas since June 2004, Russia has called for the closure of the OSCE Border Monitoring Operation (BMO), the sole source of objective reporting on border crossings along the border between Georgia and with the Russian republics of Chechnya, Dagestan, and Ingushetia;
Whereas OSCE border monitors took up their mission in Georgia in May 2000, and prior to the failure to extend the mandate for the BMO in December 2004, OSCE border monitors, who are unarmed, were deployed at nine locations along that border;
Whereas the current rotation of the BMO includes 65 border monitors from 23 countries, including Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Hungary, Ireland, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States;
Whereas at the December 2004 OSCE Ministerial, Russia blocked renewal of the mandate for the BMO in Georgia;
Whereas Russia has stated that the BMO has accomplished nothing, but it has in fact accomplished a great deal, including observing 746 unarmed and 61 armed border crossings in 2004 and serving as a counterweight to inflammatory press reports;
Whereas in response to Russian complaints about the cost-effectiveness of the BMO, the OSCE agreed in December 2004 to cut the number of monitors and thereby reduce the cost of the BMO by almost half;
Whereas the BMO began shutting down on January 1, 2005;
Whereas the staff of the BMO is now dismantling facilities and is not performing its mission;
Whereas the shutdown of the BMO will become irreversible in the second half of March 2005 and is currently scheduled to be completed by May 2005;
Whereas the United States has reiterated its disappointment over the failure of the Permanent Council of the OSCE to reach consensus on renewing the mandate of the BMO, despite request of Georgia, the host country of the BMO, that the OSCE continue the border monitoring operation, and the consensus of all states but one to extend the mandate for the BMO; and
Whereas United States Ambassador to the United States Mission to the OSCE, Stephan M. Minikes, said in a statement to the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna on January 19, 2005, that “we believe that the closure of the BMO would remove a key source of peaceful relations and of objective reporting on events at the sensitive border and increase the likelihood of heightened Russia-Georgia tensions.”: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that the United States should—
(1) urge Russia to live up to its commitments at the 1999 Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Summit in Istanbul regarding Georgia and Moldova;
(2) in cooperation with its European allies, maintain strong diplomatic pressure to permit the OSCE Border Monitoring Operation (BMO) in Georgia to continue; and
(3) if the BMO ceases to exist, seek, in cooperation with its European allies, an international presence to monitor objectively border crossings along the border between Georgia and the Russian republics of Chechnya, Dagestan, and Ingushetia.
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Senator Richard Lugar’s speech (Republican, Indiana):
Mr. President, today I submit a resolution expressing the United States Senate’s concern about Russia’s actions in Georgia and Moldova.
At the Organization for Security & Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE) 1999 conference in Istanbul, Russia signed commitments to withdraw troops from both Georgia and Moldova. While Russia has fulfilled some aspects of those agreements, Russian troops and military bases remain in both countries. In my resolution, I urge Russia to live up to its 1999 Istanbul Commitments.
The resolution also addresses concerns about the OSCE’s Border Monitoring Operation (BMO) in Georgia. The BMO, which took up its mission in Georgia in 2000, is the sole source of objective reporting on border crossings along Georgia’s border with the Russian republics of Chechnya, Dagestan, and Ingushetia.
Since last June, Russia has called for the closure of the BMO in Georgia. In December, Russia blocked renewal of the mandate for the BMO, stating that it had accomplished nothing. I am disappointed that the OSCE was unable to renew the BMO’s mandate. The BMO started shutting down in January and is expected to be fully closed by May.
The future of the BMO mission is uncertain. The United States, in cooperation with its European allies, should work to preserve the BMO in Georgia. But if the BMO is not revived, my resolution calls upon the United States and its European allies to seek an international presence to monitor objectively crossings along Georgia’s border.
I am concerned that if Russia does not fulfill its commitments to withdraw troops from Georgia and Moldova, and if the Border Monitoring Operation in Georgia shuts down, the security situation in the region could further deteriorate. The United States must provide strong leadership on these issues.
I ask my colleagues to support this resolution.
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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