Moldova, 2012

At the

outset, I would like to congratulate Mr. Vuk Jeremić

on his election as President of the General Assembly at

its sixty-seventh session and to wish him every success

in that highly honourable and important role. I am

convinced that his rich experience will contribute to the

achievement of significant results in our work together.

I convey my appreciation as well to his predecessor,

Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, for the exemplary

manner in which he led the sixty-sixth session. I also

wish to pay tribute to Secretary-General Ban Ki-

moon for his ongoing efforts to revitalize the global

role of the United Nations and to bring reforms to the

Organization.

It is a great honour for me to speak from this

rostrum for the first time on behalf of the people of

the Republic of Moldova. Twenty-one years ago, my

country broke away from the Soviet empire, and today

it is undergoing a process of democratic transformation,

with membership in the European Union as its ultimate

goal. After a period of several years marked by political

turmoil, my country now enjoys political stability,

which allows it to develop and modernize. We have

firmly defined European integration as our objective

and have revived the economic and social reforms. Our

priorities are the establishment of the rule of law and

comprehensive judicial reform, with an emphasis on

fighting corruption, modernization of the economy and

reintegration of the country.

The support and assistance provided by our

European partners from Brussels and United Nations

Member States are extremely important for us and

assure us that we are on the right path. Two decades

ago, on the very day the Republic of Moldova joined the United Nations, the peace in my country was shaken.

The armed conflict in the Transnistrian region of the

Republic of Moldova lasted for five months and caused

the loss of many lives. It was a tragic period that, while

now past, continues to pose a serious challenge in

the present. Since the end of the hostilities, Moldova

has firmly embarked on the road towards a peaceful

settlement of that conflict. Twenty years of negotiations

have strengthened our belief that that is the only viable

path to follow in order to reach a political settlement.

It is obvious that the perpetuation of the conflict

does not offer any real benefit to the majority of the

people on either bank of the Nistru river. It undermines

our national security and territorial integrity, hampers

economic development and divides our society.

Moreover, the conflict keeps the population of the

Transnistrian region in isolation, incites human rights

violations and generates economic stagnation on

the left bank of the Nistru. The current political and

economic trends show that preserving the status quo is

not a viable scenario anymore. All of our international

partners share the view that there is no alternative to

a reunified Moldova. Our message in that regard is

firm – 20 years are enough to overcome the mistrust of

the past and it is time to start building a shared future.

The key elements in the approach of the Moldovan

authorities to resolving the conflict are also clear.

Our ultimate goal is to reintegrate the Republic of

Moldova within its internationally recognized borders

as a functional State with a clear European perspective.

The Transnistrian region should be granted a special

status within Moldova, which will provide the region

with a comfortable level of self-governance. Defining

the special status is the core task of the political

negotiations in the “5+2” format. That negotiation

process should lead to a reasonable compromise based

on the principles of the sovereignty and territorial

integrity of the Republic of Moldova.

In parallel, we will continue to implement

confidence-building measures aimed at bringing

communities from both banks of the Nistru River

closer to each other. By promoting business links,

ensuring freedom of movement, protecting human

rights, improving security and combating criminality,

we will prepare a better ground for a political solution.

Transformation of the existing military peacekeeping

mechanism into an international civilian mission aimed

at building confidence rather than separating the sides

has also become an imperative. Our international partners provide an essential

contribution to bringing that conflict to an end. Growing

assistance from the European Union is an encouraging

example in that regard. The negotiation process now

needs a strong stimulus, and we believe that our

international partners can demonstrate the necessary

political will to that end. We call on the 5+2 format

negotiators, namely, the Organization for Security

and Cooperation in Europe, the Russian Federation,

Ukraine, the European Union and the United States of

America, to pool their efforts and work together towards

the final resolution of the Transnistrian conflict and

reintegration of the Republic of Moldova.

It is also important to reiterate that Russian forces

are still present on the territory of the Republic of

Moldova, without the consent of the host country and in

breach of the Moldovan Constitution and international

commitments, and they should be finally withdrawn.

The universal character of the United Nations and

its unique role in managing international relations

are widely recognized. There is no alternative to

this Organization. Yet, globalization and the global

financial crisis have demonstrated the need to reform

the Organization in order to ensure the progressive

and sustainable strengthening of the United Nations. I

am referring in particular to Security Council reform,

to which a compromise solution should be found. We

believe that any proposal for its reform should take into

account the legitimate aspirations of all regional groups,

including granting an additional non-permanent seat to

the Eastern European States.

In its capacity as a member of the Human Rights

Council, the Committee on Conferences, the Policy and

Programme Coordination Committee, the Committee

on Information, the Commission for Population and

Development and other United Nations elective bodies,

the Republic of Moldova will continue to support

efforts towards the comprehensive reform of the

United Nations system and its main bodies and organs,

including the revitalization of the General Assembly

and the reform of the Security Council aimed at

enhancing the efficiency, transparency, accountability

and representativeness of the system.

The relationship between the United Nations and

regional organizations is of paramount importance for

the maintenance of international peace and security. In

many instances, all those organizations have unique

and complementary capacities that, when properly

coordinated, can contribute decisively to the prevention and management of conflicts, including protracted

ones. From that point of view, during this session we

will strongly support the consideration by the General

Assembly of the issue of cooperation between the

United Nations and regional organizations, particularly

the Organization for Security and Cooperation in

Europe, the Council of Europe, the Black Sea Economic

Cooperation Organization and other organizations.

In the same context, considering the distinct

objective devoted to democracy and economic

development, the increased potential and role in economic

development and regional integration, as well as the

strong determination of the countries of the Georgia,

Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Moldova (GUAM) Organization

for Democracy and Economic Development to actively

contribute to international security, stability and peace,

the delegations of its member States have decided to

advance for consideration of the General Assembly

during its current session a draft resolution on

cooperation between the United Nations and GUAM.

At this stage, the process of development and

integration of our States is still burdened by some

outstanding problems, including unresolved conflicts

in the territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan,

Georgia and the Republic of Moldova. We reaffirm our

unswerving commitment to finding peaceful solutions

to those conflicts on the basis of respect for the

sovereignty and territorial integrity of our countries.

Promoting the rule of law at the national and

international levels is at the heart of the United Nations

mission and is fundamental to achieving durable peace,

supporting openness in Government, the effective

protection of human rights and sustained economic

growth and development. We emphasize the importance

of the High-level Meeting of the General Assembly on

the Rule of Law at the National and International Levels

(A/67/PV.3), held on 24 September, and will continue

to support efforts in that direction during the sixtyseventh

session. In our view, strengthening the rule of

law will help to maintain peace, promote development

and enhance cooperation, and is therefore conducive to

the achievement of the goal of building a harmonious

world.

The non-proliferation of weapons of mass

destruction, disarmament and the efficient control of

armaments remain vital topics on the international

cooperation agenda, which need the common

understanding, political will and engaged efforts of all

States and international organizations. The Republic of Moldova fully supports the international community

in exerting continuous control of and applying the

necessary preventive measures against unlawful

attempts to develop weapons of mass destruction and

their means of delivery, which pose a real threat to

international security and are often used to challenge

the existing world order.

The Republic of Moldova established significant

objectives and is undertaking tangible steps in

accomplishing its priorities in the field of arms control.

In cooperation with our partners, the Government of

the Republic of Moldova is in the process of adjusting

to the best international standards, adopting dual-use

goods export control legislation, improving small arms

and light weapons management for civilians and the

military, ensuring proper border management, and

actively cooperating at the regional and international

levels.

Military conflicts in different regions of the planet

and the global economic crises have brought human

rights issues once again to our attention. The principles

of international law and human rights standards can

be promoted only by joint efforts and decisions. Acts

of aggression, including attacks against the personnel

and integrity of diplomatic facilities, represent a

violation of international norms and deserve our firm

condemnation. The relevant bodies of the United

Nations, including the Human Rights Council, have

sufficient instruments to take action on behalf of States

in order to prevent human rights violations, conduct

country evaluations and provide tailored solutions.

As a member of the Human Rights Council for the

term of 2010 to 2013 and, as Vice-Chair of the Third

Committee at its previous session, the Republic of

Moldova continuously pledges to keep an open mind

in furthering the cause of promoting and protecting

human rights worldwide.

The world economic crisis is an incentive

for putting into practice the idea of sustainable

development, which could simultaneously provide

solutions for maintaining the pace of economic growth

and prevent climate change. We support the renewal

of the global commitment made at the United Nations

Conference on Sustainable Development, held in Rio de

Janeiro, Brazil, and the agreement on establishing the

sustainable development goals (see resolution 66/288,

annex). We believe that promoting a green economy

model will help enterprises to reconfigure in order to

streamline natural, human and economic investments. Finally, I would like to reiterate that the Republic

of Moldova is a strong supporter of the United Nations

role in global governance and the management of

international crises. We believe in the potential and

capacities of the United Nations to find adequate

responses and take concrete actions aimed at resolving

the ever-increasing global challenges. The Republic of

Moldova is definitely contributing to that activity.