PASOS and partners call for EU diplomatic mission to mediate in Moldova post-election crisis
News Source: PASOS Secretariat, Prague, Czech Republic
PASOS urges European Commission, Council of EU, and Czech EU Presidency to work for peaceful, democratic solution to political and civil crisis in Moldova
On 7 May 2009, the Eastern Partnership summit is scheduled to take place in Prague, the launch of a major EU initiative to strengthen the democratic development of the EU’s eastern neighbours. Today, however, the democratic transition of Moldova is threatened by the steps taken by President Vladimir Voronin in response to largely peaceful protests following the parliamentary elections of 5 April 2009. Constitutional rights are now being infringed, including the indiscriminate arrests and beatings of protesters, and a ban on private media, resulting in a political crisis with serious implications for the country’s democratic development. President Voronin has also accused Romania, a European Union member state, of supporting the protesters and undermining the sovereignty of Moldova.
PASOS called for an immediate visit to Chisinau by the EU Troika, with a view to:
• the creation of a special round-table with participation of all political parties of this country, to restore trust and dialogue between the main political actors, to enshrine democratic standards of behaviour, including free access of political parties and civil society leaders to mass media, thus creating necessary preconditions to decide upon future organisation of free and fair elections in Moldova.
• the establishment of a special international group, mandated by the EU, with special envoys from the European Presidency to investigate the causes, actors and the escalation of riots, which have degenerated into violent actions, assisting independent judicial trials for those who committed these actions.
In addition, PASOS is calling upon EU diplomats to work to prevent the transformation of Moldova into an ‘official’ dictatorship, by assisting in the de-escalation of conflicts, by reducing the hate-speech, curbing police violence and the arrests of citizens in daylight by unidentified individuals. The EU can play an important role by mediation to end censorship in state media, for the liberation of political prisoners (200 arrested on the night of 7 April 2009), and by working to ensure the resolution of the conflicts via judicial, and not extra-judicial, means.
The letters to Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg and EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana, are both attached, along with the statement supported by the following PASOS members and partners:
Institute for Contemporary Studies, Albania
Tevan Poghosyan, Executive Director, ICHD, Armenia
Gubad Ibadoglu Bayramov, Chair, Economic Research Center (ERC), Azerbaijan
Maria Prohaska, Executive Director, Center for Economic Development (CED), Bulgaria
Lubov Panayotova, Programme Director, European Institute Foundation, Bulgaria
Dr. Ognyan Minchev, Executive Director, IRIS, Bulgaria
Marin Lessenski, IRIS, Bulgaria
Stefan Ralchev, IRIS, Bulgaria
Alexander Marinov, IRIS, Bulgaria
Alice Savovová, Executive Director, Association for International Affairs (AMO), Czech Republic
Michal Thim, Research Center Director, AMO, Czech Republic
Kateřina Špácová, Director, Civic Belarus, Czech Republic
David Král, Director, EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy, Czech Republic
Radomír Špok, Executive Director, EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy, Czech Republic
Vladimír Bartovic, Research Fellow, EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy, Czech Republic
Jeff Lovitt, Executive Director, PASOS (Policy Association for an Open Society)
Caucasus Institute for Peace, Democracy and Development (CIPDD), Georgia
George Tarkhan-Mouravi, co-Director, Institute for Policy Studies (IPS), Georgia
Fatmir Curri, Program Co-ordinator, Kosovar Civil Society Foundation
Ahmat Madeyuev, Executive Director, Center for Public Policy, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan (CPP)
Dace Akule, Research Fellow, Centre for Public Policy PROVIDUS, Latvia
Zhidas Daskalovski, President, Center for Research and Policy Making (CRPM), Macedonia
Dr Igor Munteanu, Director, IDIS Viitorul, Moldova
Arcadie Barbarosie, Director, Institute for Public Policy (IPP), Moldova
Valeriu Prohnitski, Executive Director, Expert-Grup, Moldova
Jacek Kucharczyk, Research Director, Institute of Public Afairs, Poland
Grigorij Mesežnikov, President, Institute for Public Affairs (IVO), Slovak Republic
Olga Shumylo, Executive Director, International Centre for Policy Studies (ICPS), Ukraine
PASOS-EUHRCFSP_10april2009.pdf (191.89 kB)
PASOS-CzechMFA10april2009.pdf (191.98 kB)
moldavastatement.pdf (107.85 kB)
