Moldova, 2014

It is with

great honour and a special sense of responsibility that

I address the General Assembly today. My country has

chosen a European future, and that will make Moldova

stronger and more prosperous. This year we have

signed, ratified and are already provisionally applying

the new Association Agreement with the European

Union (EU). The Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade

Area, an integral part of the Agreement, opens new

perspectives for Moldova’s access to European and

world markets. That will make our economy more

competitive, stimulate economic growth and integrate

Moldova into the mainstream of global trade, with all

its benefits. The implementation of the Agreement is

our short-term priority. Our next goal is to apply for

full-fledged European Union membership.

Now that we have defined our path and established

the framework for our further development, we must

focus on systemic improvements. Strengthening

democracy and the rule of law, improving our investment

climate, developing rural areas and enhancing our

energy security — those are the objectives to be

accomplished in the near term.

We are grateful to all our development partners

for supporting Moldova’s modernization agenda.

They have helped us to strengthen good governance,

promote justice and domestic reforms, support the

modernization of the agricultural sector and implement

energy interconnection projects. Just recently, a new

pipeline was completed that connects Moldova via

Romania to the European Union’s gas network. That

and other strategic projects connecting Moldova to

Europe, including power grids, roads and bridges, will

be implemented in coming years.

Our ambitions, however, will not be fulfilled if

the benefits of closer association with Europe are not

fully shared by our citizens living in the Transnistrian

region of the Republic of Moldova. Just like the rest

of Moldova, people and businesses in that region want

the development opportunities that association with the

European Union clearly brings. The Free Trade Area

with the European Union will increase production

and exports. Jobs, salaries, pensions and benefits will

therefore rise significantly.

Visa-free travel by all Moldovan citizens to the

European Union as of April this year, along with new

trade and investment opportunities, are just a few real

examples that demonstrate that Moldova is on the

right track. However, alongside the conflict-settlement

process, we will continue focusing on building

confidence among citizens, the private sector and all

other stakeholders of the entire country.

Against that background, the resolution of the

Transnistrian conflict and the reintegration of Moldova

is another top priority for my Government. In our effort

to resolve the conflict, our goal remains the same: to

achieve a political settlement based on respect for the

sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic

of Moldova, with a special political status for its

Transnistrian region. All of our international partners

involved in the settlement process agree on those basic

principles. And today more than ever before, we need

their united and proactive support to help solve that

protracted conflict.

Discussions on the political and security aspects

of the conflict should be resumed without delay

within the 5+2 format for negotiations. There are other

outstanding issues that create additional obstacles to the

settlement process. The continuing presence of Russia’s

military forces and ammunition in the Transnistrian

region, contrary to international commitments and the

Constitution of the Republic of Moldova, is one of those

issues. We expect the Russian Federation to finalize the

withdrawal process without any further delay. We also

believe that bringing the peacekeeping arrangement in

line with international standards by transforming the

current operation into a civilian multinational mission

would provide a positive impulse to the settlement

process.

Moldova seeks to develop fruitful relations with

all its partners in the East and West. In the past five

years, my Government has promoted a coherent and

predictable foreign-policy agenda, which is based

on our European integration choice. Regrettably,

Moldova currently faces unjustified trade restrictions

on the export of its agricultural products to the Russian

Federation. Trade relations in the whole Commonwealth

of Independent States (CIS) region have been affected,

but we nevertheless hope that a continuing dialogue

with our Russian partners, based on the World Trade

Organization and CIS rules, will contribute to the

resumption of normal trade relations with Russia. We

are grateful for the assistance of our trading partners,

particularly the European Union, for supporting the

Government in its efforts to lessen the immediate

impact of the restrictions on Moldovan farmers and

producers. Full liberalization of the European Union

market for Moldovan wines and agriculture products,

as well as a new free-trade-area agreement with Turkey,

will contribute to market diversification in the future.

We will continue to explore new trade partnerships in

the world.

We have followed with great concern the

developments in Ukraine. A year ago, no one could

have imagined that Ukraine would be plunged into such

a painful and profound crisis. At the very same time,

Ukraine, like Moldova, has also established a path for

European integration, and that offers a real chance

for improving people’s well-being while facilitating

reconciliation, reconstruction and security. We believe

that the sovereign choices of all members of the

international community should be respected.

We recall the need for all members of the

international community to respect the provisions of

the Charter of the United Nations and international law.

Like many other countries, we will never recognize

the annexation of Crimea. We also encourage any

involvement by the international community, in

particular by the United Nations and the Organization

for Security and Cooperation in Europe, in actions to

stabilize the situation on the ground. The sovereignty

and territorial integrity of our neighbour Ukraine must

be respected.

Today we face new and increasingly complex

security challenges. Moldova is doing its part to address

those challenges by making its own contribution to the

promotion of peace, security and stability in Europe

and in the international arena. We have taken concrete

measures to support United Nations, EU and NATO

efforts in that regard. This year, Moldova deployed 41

soldiers to the NATO-led International Security Force

in Kosovo operation, under the authority of the Security

Council, and contributed to the EU Training Mission in

Mali. That represents a new level of commitment by

Moldova to promoting international peace, security and

stability.

Moldova is committed to protecting human

rights at the national and international levels. We

have made steady progress in the implementation of

the relevant United Nations special procedures and

recommendations. Moldova has volunteered to present

a mid-term evaluation report on the Universal Periodic

Review recommendations in the area of human rights

by October.

At the same time, a national strategic programme

for demographic security until 2025 is currently being

implemented in the Republic of Moldova. We want to

become a regional centre of excellence for the best

policies in reproductive health and to contribute to the

objectives of the United Nations Population Fund.

Moldova also shares its best practices on migration

and development with other countries in the eastern and

southern neighbourhoods of the European Union. We

are actively engaged in the work of the Global Forum

on Migration and Development.

Moldova also supports the advancement of a

free and independent society, including freedom of

expression on the Internet and in other media. For

the past three years, my country has had one of the

best and most affordable Internet connections in the

world. More than 65 per cent of Moldovans access the

Internet at least once a day. That is why I am proud

that Moldova was accepted this year as a member of the

Freedom Online Coalition. Moldova’s membership of

the Open Government Partnership is another important

contribution to the commitments made with regard to

the Millennium Development Goals. We are currently

implementing a comprehensive e-governance agenda.

Today, Moldova is one of the first countries of the

region, and among the first 16 countries in the world, to

have an open data portal. Just recently, in August, the

Government of Moldova approved the new Open Data

Policy in line with the Open Data Charter of the Group

of Eight.

We have taken one step forward in agreeing on

a new post-2015 development agenda and a new set

of sustainable development goals. My country will

continue to contribute to that effort by hosting, in

February 2015, an event at which we will consolidate

and endorse the conclusions of the high-level dialogue

on capacity-building and sustainable development.

Let me reiterate Moldova’s commitment to

promoting the core principles of the Organization and

to assisting the international community in delivering

on the greatest promise of the United Nations — peace,

justice, security and development for the people of the

world.