Appeal of Moldovan civil society to HR/VP Catherine Ashton on situation in Transnistria

A coalition of Moldovan civil society organisations (CSOs), many of them members of the EaP CSF, have sent an appeal to the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission (HR/VP) Catherine Ashton on 9 July 2013.

The CSOs welcomed the commitment of the EU and Ashton to Moldova’s European integration, but noticed that the activation of the dialogue between the EU and the Republic of Moldova is accompanied by a deliberate aggravation of the situation in the eastern part of the country with the aim of obstructing Moldova’s European course.

They therefore appeal to the EU to include issues related to the Security Zone in the agenda of the 5+2 meeting in Vienna, to request that the Russian Federation does not further enhance its military contingent in the Joint Peacekeeping Forces and to make assistance to Transnistria dependent on the willingness of the Tiraspol administration to refrain from actions that could destabilise the situation. Furthermore the CSOs appealed to the EU to stimulate the consolidation of Moldova’s political class and society in their efforts to calm the situation in the region as well as to stimulate the participation of civil society in the negotiations on a peaceful and lasting settlement of the conflict.

The full appeal of the Moldovan CSOs is available here.