Thursday, March 28, 2024

Victor Chirila: R. Moldovas Foreign Policy: trends, paradoxes and challenges. Info-Prim Neo. 10.01.2012.

The 2011 was a good year for the foreign policy, which, in fact, is the true success story of the Republic of Moldova during the last 3 years. The positive image that our country enjoys within the Eastern Partnership, in Washington, Brussels and other EU capitals, is primarily due to our diplomacy. Nevertheless, the successes of our foreign policy, particularly in relations with the EU are increasingly dependent on internal factors, such as solidarity of the political class, cohesion of the society, pace and quality of reforms, the efficiency of state institutions, etc... From this point of view, we can presume that 2012 will be much more difficult for our diplomats.

Victor Chirila: Why do we need Transnistria? Info-Prim Neo. 21.12.2011.

The question of the title is undoubtedly challenging for an increasingly indifferent society towards the Transnistrian problem. According to the latest barometer of public opinion (BPO) from November 2011, the resolution of the Transnistrian conflict is No. 1 priority only for 1% of the countrys population and is on the 8th place among the most important problems to be solved in the Republic of Moldova. On the other hand, the consensus and solidarity of political class on the provisions of the special legal status of the Transnistrian region, as defined by the Law No. 173 from 22 July 2005, are no longer certain.

Ion Sturza: Is European Union on the verge of breaking? APE, 24.11.2011

Reflections on the session of the European Council for Foreign Relations Warsaw, November 10, 2011

Victor Chirila: Istanbul Summit is the most important accomplishment of Moldovan Foreign Ministry. Info-Prim...

Each of the 20 years of independence in Moldova has its meaning and role in what happened in the period and, undoubtedly, in what is going to happen in the country and the peoples lives in the future. Info-Prim Neo asked politicians, analysts, experts and personalities from different areas to pronounce on the main events that took place during a certain year and assess their impact on the country.

Victor Chirila: A new European Neighborhood Policy: more for more”, but no institutions. Info-Prim...

European Neighborhood Policy (ENP) is an EU foreign policy instrument by which the latter aims to create an area of security and prosperity around it. ENP was launched in 2004 and comprises 16 countries from North Africa, Middle East and Eastern Europe, including Moldova. After 7 years of implementation, the ENP is far from achieving its strategic objective. In the last three years, several developments have questioned the efficiency and capabilities of the ENP, both on its Eastern and Southern dimensions. Among negative evolutions we can mention the Russian-Georgian war in August 2008, expansion of authoritarian drifts in most the Eastern Partnership countries, flagrant violation of fundamental human rights in Belarus, the violent suppression of peaceful protests in Chisinau in April 2009, and Minsk in December 2010, the worsening of economic and democratic conditions in states from North Africa and the Middle East, which led eventually to the outbreak of civil war and popular uprisings in Libya, etc... These and other negative trends have determined the EU to start the ENP reevaluation.

„Ravnopravie Storon” means the clinical death of the Republic of Moldova. Info-Prim Neo. 16.06.2011.

On June 10, the Russian ambassador Valeri Kuzmin tried once again the limits of the Chisinau authoritys pragmatic patience. Taking advantage of the reception organized with the occasion of Russias national day, he gave the word to the Transnistrian region representative Vladimir Yastrebchak, presenting him no more, no less, as foreign minister of Transnistria”. To his surprise, but also to ours, the proverbial patience of the Moldovan diplomats has broken”, as they left the reception as a sign of protest. No less surprising was the gesture of American and European diplomats present at the event, that followed the act of dignity and courage of our diplomats.

Victor Chirilă: Achiles heel of the EU in Moldova. Info-Prim Neo. 24.05.2011.

On June 5, 2010, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russias President Dmitry Medvedev signed the Russian-German Memorandum of Meseberg, under which the EU and Russia are to create a joint Foreign Policy and Security Committee at the level of ministers, with the Transnistrian conflict to become a major subject in the Councils agenda. It will be soon a year of this date, but the committee has not been yet set up. Moscow considers that the ball is in the court of Brussels, which should respond to the proposals submitted by it last summer, concerning the work of the committee proposed by Merkel and Medvedev in Meseberg.

Victor Chirilă: Resumption of official talks in 5+2 format is necessary, but at what...

A new round of informal talks on the settlement of the Transnistrian conflict in the 5+2 format (Moldova and Transnistria as conflicting sides, the OSCE, Russia and Ukraine as mediators, and the U.S. and the EU as observers) took place in Vienna on April 4-5. Despite the expectations, the parties dd not manage to reach a compromise as regards the resumption of the official talks in the 5+2 format.

Biden Backs Moldovan Reforms, Territorial Integrity. Radio Free Europe. 11.03.2011.

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden was in Moldova today for a brief visit to encourage reform in the impoverished nation and push for a peaceful settlement of its separatist conflict.Biden, the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit Moldova since the country declared independence from Soviet rule,

U.S. Vice President Kicks Off Finland, Russia, And ‘Model’ Moldova Visits. Radio Free Europe....

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden shares a laugh with Finnish President Tarja Halonen at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki.

Victor Chirilă: PLDM, PD and PL in search of lost time. Info-Prim Neo. 07.12.2010.

The November 28 elections were expected to produce the long-sought clarity on the Moldovan political arena, but unfortunately for us, it wasn't meant to be this time either. Things start to look even more mixed up, the political crisis is continuing, and the country's future seems to be more uncertain than ever. To rephrase an old Moldovan proverb, a poor man can never get his politicians carry the load”. At this moment, this saying describes our realities best.

Progress made during 2010 in the transnistrian settlement. APE. 11.11.2010.

Regular meetings between political representatives of Chisinau and Tiraspol - Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration Victor Osipov and Vladimir Yastrebchak. It is relevant that one of the meetings took place right in Tiraspol, on the occasion of launching the working groups. These constant meetings have contributed to solving the current problems and to strengthening the confidence-building measures between the two sides of the Nistru.

OSCE Summit in Astana – an important opportunity to resume negotiations in the “5+2”...

During this year, there were a series of events, both domestically and internationally, which resulted in the resumption of the permanent "5+2" dialogue as well as the fulfillment of certain concrete promises, such as for example, to resume passenger transportation on the Tiraspol-Chisinau-Odessa railroad. But there were some incidents caused by the transnistrian side, which disrupted the consultation process by creating artificial tensions. However, uncontrolled escalation of the conflict situations was successfully avoided. This is due, in large part, to the balanced and constructive attitude demonstrated by the Chisinau authorities this year.

KIEV IN FALL. Novaya Online Gazeta Transnistria. APE, Transnistrian Dialogues. 20.10.2010

In the morning on the 15th of October we went to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, where an old acquaintance was already expecting us - a former employee of the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Moldova, Marco Shevchenko. Now, his place of work is the Political and Security Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Victor Chirila: Moldovan-Russian pragmatism sank in Moldovan wine at Solntzevo. Timpul. 22.07.2010.

(This commentary was published in Moldovan newspaper TIMPUL on July 22, 2010)

STEFAN FUELE AND PHILIPPE LE HOUEROU: Rethink Moldova. EUObserver.com. 23.04.2010.

With an average yearly income of only €1,100, Moldovans have seen their country steadily grow in the past decade only to run into the headwinds of the global economic crisis.

The EU’s Conditionality in the Case of Moldova: Failure or Success?. Leonid Litra. Institut...

Draft Paper - Please do not quote. This paper was prepared within the Study Programme on European Security implemented by Institut fur Europaische Politik. The final paper will be published on www.iep-berlin.de

Presentation by Victor Chirila, Executive Director APE:Moldova: East or WestBetween Moscow and Brussels”. Stanford...

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