Moldova, 1994

President Snegur (spoke in Moldovan; English text

furnished by the delegation): Allow me at the outset, Sir,

to extend to you my cordial and sincere congratulations on

the occasion of your election as President of the forty-ninth

session of the General Assembly. I am convinced that your

competence and active cooperation with Member States will

pave the way for a successful and fruitful session.

At the same time, I should like to express my deep

gratitude to His Excellency Mr. Samuel Insanally for the

outstanding work accomplished in his capacity as President

of the previous session.

I should also like to express sentiments of our

utmost consideration to His Excellency Mr. Boutros

Boutros-Ghali, whose activities in redefining the role of

this prestigious Organization in this changing world enjoy

the appreciation and support of the Republic of Moldova.

I am honoured to represent the Republic of Moldova

for the second time at this rostrum. Nearly three years

ago, in March 1992, I expressed gratitude to Member

States for their considerable support extended to my

country by recognizing it at the international level as an

independent State and by accepting it into the large

family of the United Nations.

Looking back over these years, I should like to note

that the Republic of Moldova gained its independence in

a complex political context in which the aspirations for

freedom and democracy of nations led to the collapse of

totalitarian regimes and the emergence of new States.

Unfortunately, those positive changes were followed

by negative tendencies, such as threats to subregional and

regional security. Moreover, we are witnessing the

reappearance and aggravation of some older problems

connected to national minorities, territorial disputes, the

presence of foreign military troops on the territory of new

independent States, the intensification of some separatist

tendencies, often inspired and directed from abroad, and

so on.

Under these circumstances, the state of affairs is

more complex than we could imagine. The euphoria that

followed the events in Eastern Europe and on the territory

of the former Soviet Union generated in some the opinion

that the two main objectives - democratization of society

and building a market-oriented economy, both compulsory

for the institutional reintegration of new States into the

democratic world - would not face serious obstacles. Now,

however, we find that there is a desynchronization and even

a time disparity between those two objectives. I would say

that that disparity is even more evident in the new

independent States that emerged as a result of the collapse

of the former Soviet Union. In this sense, the Republic of

Moldova is no exception.

The situation requires a larger conceptual and practical

effort to correct such desynchronizations. It is obvious that

the United Nations cannot remain indifferent to the

difficulties that confront the countries in transition. In this

connection, we consider that the Secretary-General’s

intention to draw up an agenda for development is

particularly opportune, and we welcome it. In our opinion

the assistance granted by the United Nations to young

States should be provided on the basis of the concrete

conditions prevailing in every specific country and the

programmes being elaborated in each.

Located at the intersection of the geopolitical interests

of some great Powers, Moldova was incorporated into a

State and political entity in which democratic values were

meaningless. The experience of Moldova is different from

that of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, where

the communist "freezer" functioned for only four decades

and something was preserved from the previous democratic

development. That is why we had to begin the process of

democratization and market transition almost from the very

beginning. The deepening of the economic crisis can be

explained to a large extent by the fact that we do not have

at our disposal sufficient financial and energy resources or

the raw materials necessary to support these reforms.

In addition, our country’s potential was affected this

year by a natural disaster of which the international

community has already been informed. We suffered human

losses and considerable material damage, and we had to

mobilize every effort and all resources to subdue the

elements and overcome their consequences. Our voice was

heard by the international community. I should like to

express my sincere gratitude to the international

organizations and countries that granted humanitarian

assistance to the Republic of Moldova and my sincere

gratitude to the Members of the United Nations for their

understanding and sympathy, which they manifested by

adopting the resolution (48/266) entitled "Emergency

assistance to the Republic of Moldova" during the forty-

eighth session of the General Assembly.

Over the three years that have elapsed since the

proclamation of the independence of the Republic of

Moldova, on 27 August 1991, our decision to develop

democracy and a State of law with a market economy has

remained firm, in spite of transitional difficulties. This

firm decision is being realized through our efforts to

create the necessary legislative premises for promoting

reforms, including privatization, for transforming the

economy to one based on market relations and for

ensuring respect for fundamental human rights and

freedoms.

The recent parliamentary elections held on a multi-

party basis were free and fair, and this was confirmed by

international observers. Another significant event was the

adoption of the Constitution, which paves the way for the

real independence and democracy chosen by the people of

the Republic of Moldova.

The Republic of Moldova has ratified a series of

important international Conventions on human rights. We

have consequently undertaken new commitments to

change the internal juridical framework in accordance

with international standards. Measures have been taken

to guarantee the rights of the national minorities, some of

which were on the edge of losing their identity during the

Soviet regime. Many provisions of Moldovan legislation

are aimed at protecting the right to retain, develop and

utilize the language spoken on the territory of the country.

Under the new Constitution, special forms of autonomy

may be granted to some human settlements in the east

and south of the Republic of Moldova in accordance with

special juridical statutes adopted under the constitutional

laws. For example, a draft for such a statute for the

southern region is being examined in the Parliament.

We consider that the good intentions of the

Government of the Republic of Moldova and its concrete

and positive actions represent essential premises for the

elimination of sources of tension. It is our strong belief

that they can be eliminated, and with less controversy, not

through the use of force but in a peaceful way through

negotiation and dialogue; as an old saying teaches us: "It

is better to have a year of negotiations than a day of

war". This is true, since any armed conflict provokes

human and material losses.

The Republic of Moldova is and will remain fully

committed to constructive negotiations, on the condition,

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of course, that all the parties involved demonstrate political

will and common sense.

At the same time we cannot ignore the fact that in

spite of reasonable compromises made by Chisinau,

tendencies of separatism still exist in eastern regions, and

human rights continue to be flagrantly violated. For

example, despite the fact that the Moldovan authorities and

several international organizations, including the United

Nations, have expressed their deep concern about the

situation of the "Ilascu Group", as of today the members of

the Group are still illegally detained. Another example is

this: the Moldovans from the left bank of the Dniester

river are prohibited from using the Latin alphabet in their

schooling. The separatist leaders from Tiraspol continue to

obstruct the signing of the already-endorsed agreement on

the legal status and the modalities and stages of the

complete withdrawal of the 14th Army.

I want to emphasize once again that a complete,

orderly and unconditional withdrawal of foreign military

troops from the territory of the Republic of Moldova is the

will of our people. This will is clearly reflected in our

Constitution, which forbids the deployment of foreign

troops on the territory of the Republic of Moldova. In this

context, it should be mentioned that the authorities of the

Russian Federation show a correct understanding of our

position. I would like to underline the important role of the

international community, the international organizations,

including the United Nations, and especially the Conference

on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) in

facilitating the bilateral negotiations.

I avail myself of this opportunity to congratulate

Estonia and Latvia on the withdrawal of foreign military

troops from their territory and, at the same time, to express

our hope that the international community will support the

same kind of appropriate and orderly withdrawal of foreign

troops in the case of the Republic of Moldova.

I should like to touch upon the subject of separatism

and discuss it in a larger perspective. It is well known that

many regions of the world are currently affected by

separatist tendencies. Respecting the right of nations to

self-determination - a fundamental right outlined in

international documents - we cannot ignore the fact that this

right is often used as a tool serving the interests of certain

political groups and, in that context, this right has nothing

to do with the legitimate aspirations of people to liberty and

national sovereignty.

Today, in my opinion, at the end of the millennium

the separatist phenomenon is an extremely negative one,

and to ignore it can lead to tragic consequences for many

countries - indeed, for the entire world. In such

circumstances, can we afford to allow dozens of

artificially induced States to emerge as a result of the

pressure of certain interested political groups? Will this

further the strengthening of international stability and

security? We do not believe so. Given that the majority

of States have a multi-ethnic configuration, and could be

affected by such separatist tendencies, we cannot but

emphasize the dangers this might entail. That is why we

believe that this kind of separatism - today’s deadly world

virus - must be condemned by the international

community. We think that this issue should be more

closely examined, and we hope that the United Nations

will give due attention to this matter.

The Republic of Moldova has joined the United

Nations as a young European country. Our European

aspirations are determined by our geopolitical and cultural

affiliations to the European democratic space, and we are

linked to it by our Latin heritage also. For us, to be

isolated from the European space and its values means to

facilitate the re-emergence of some influences from which

we suffered painfully in the recent past. That is why our

vital and fundamental goal is the integration of our

country into Europe. In this context, we firmly look

forward to increasing cooperation and linkage with the

Council of Europe, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization

(NATO), the Western European Union (WEU), and the

CSCE, including expanding our relations with the

European Union, which represents the main guarantee of

democratic practices and values.

The implementation of our options depends crucially

on the willingness of the economic and political-strategic

Euro-Atlantic structures to support Moldova actively.

I think that establishing economic relations with the

independent States of the former Soviet Union and joining

the Commonwealth of Independent States - where we

participate only in the economic structures and are not

involved in collective security or political-military

cooperation - will not become an obstacle to our gradual

integration into the Euro-Atlantic structures. We believe

that in these times nobody wants new dividing lines in

Europe or in any other part of the world. On the

contrary, we need to eliminate those once generated by

the cold war. At the turn of the century, not only Europe

but the whole world finds itself in a complex process of

transformation. We want to establish new forms of

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collaboration that would respond to the aspirations and the

needs of all States.

The day is approaching when the international

community will celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the

founding of the United Nations. In all these years the

United Nations has been - and it remains - the major

universal centre for maintaining peace and international

security and for mobilizing the efforts of States, in

cooperation with regional organizations, towards settling

global issues. The Republic of Moldova has the honour to

contribute, together with other States, to the implementation

of the noble ideals of the World Organization. I am

especially pleased to inform the Assembly that a committee

for coordinating the activities and manifestations dedicated

to the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the United

Nations has been created in the Republic of Moldova.

In calling to mind the achievements and successes of

the United Nations system, we cannot but mention the fact

that so far it has operated under the guidance of a Charter

conceived 50 years ago. I think that the new international

realities might call for some essential modifications to adapt

the provisions of the Charter to these realities.

The Republic of Moldova supports the reforms

initiated by the United Nations aimed at improving the

efficiency of the Organization and its major bodies.

Our country shares the views expressed by the

delegations of many countries within the Open-ended

Working Group regarding the issue of fair representation on

the Security Council. The Council’s composition, its

functioning and methods of work should be modified

without affecting the efficiency of its activities in its main

field, which is ensuring international peace and security.

Taking into account the active role and contribution

performed in the United Nations by Germany and Japan

and their possibilities of assuming specific responsibilities

in keeping international peace and security, Moldova

supports the candidatures of these two countries as

permanent members of the Security Council. Our position

on fair representation on the Security Council is that it is

necessary to take into account all regional groups

recognized in the United Nations. In this sense, the

Republic of Moldova supports the proposal of the

Netherlands to grant an additional seat to each geographic

group, including countries from Eastern Europe.

Consultations and debates on such an important

subject should be supplemented with practical

organizational and procedural measures, such as setting

up some subsidiary bodies of the Security Council in

accordance with Article 29 of the Charter, and increasing

and expanding cooperation with the General Assembly

and the regional organizations.

At the same time, we consider that the working

methods of the most representative body of the United

Nations - the General Assembly - could also be modified.

We are all interested in directing those activities as much

as possible towards consolidating the principles of justice,

democracy and development. The delegation of Moldova

supports the decisions adopted at the forty-seventh session

aimed at increasing the efficiency of the General

Assembly and rationalizing the activities of its

Commissions.

There is a direct link between peace and security on

the one hand and economic and social development on

the other. In this new era, when the United Nations is

increasing its efforts to maintain international peace and

security, we should not forget about the persistence of

inequalities and of grave social and economic problems,

which affect all countries, particularly those in transition

and the developing ones. In this sense, reform of the

Organization should include economic and social

mechanisms, especially the Economic and Social Council.

This reform, already initiated, should be more effective in

implementation and be more rational in the utilization of

available resources.

In this context, I should like to stress the importance

of the two previous sessions of the Commission for

Sustainable Development, whose work we hope will

maintain and intensify the impulse generated by the Rio

de Janeiro Conference on Environment and Development

with respect to the rapid implementation of the

commitments made in the framework of Agenda 21.

Turning to another matter, I would like to note that

the Republic of Moldova is aware of the financial crisis

of the Organization. We are not indifferent to this

situation, and I would like to assure the Assembly that

my country will do its best to fulfil its commitments.

The recommendations of the last session of the

Committee on Contributions concerning the

re-examination and adjustment of the scale of assessments

of Member States reflect more justly States’ real capacity

to pay. We hope that the General Assembly will take

these recommendations into consideration in the spirit of

justice and solidarity which characterizes the United

Nations.

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In conclusion, I express the hope that the constructive

atmosphere that characterizes the United Nations will help

us to identify the problems faced by the international

community and to find the necessary solutions.

The delegation of the Republic of Moldova expresses

its readiness to cooperate most actively and efficiently with

the delegations of other States in order to achieve the high

goals of the United Nations.