Playing with Security in a World in Which Nothing Is Safe NEWSLETTER
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Foreign Policy Association together with Friedrich- Ebert-Stiftung offer you a newsletter on foreign policy and European integration issues of the Republic of Moldova. The newsletter is part of the “Foreign Policy Dialogue” joint Project. NEWSLETTER MONTHLY BULLETIN APRIL 2019 NR.3 (157) Synthesis and Foreign Policy Debates The newsletter is developed by Sorina Ştefârţă, editor-coordinator TOPICS OF THE EDITION: 1. Stela Jantuan, political analyst: “There are a lot of elements that create this puzzle of insecurity in the “MD” version” 2. Editorial by Victoria Bucataru, executive director of APE: “From an uncertain zone to security generator: a long way for us to take the first step” 3. Dumitru Țâra, media expert: “In terms of information security, the Republic of Moldova is a wide-open and fence-free courtyard” 4. Looking from the outside. Helga Maria Schmid, Secretary General of the EEAS: “A more assertive EU in a volatile world” News in Brief The development of bilateral relations in areas of common interest - this was the key topic of the recent meeting between Prime Minister Playing with security in a world Pavel Filip and US Ambassador Derek J. Hogan in Chisinau. Pavel Filip mentioned the importance of bilateral cooperation with the USA, which is a strategic partner of our country, and expressed gratitude for the constant support provided to the implementation of democratic and structural reforms and the strengthening of institutional capacities. The in which nothing is safe officials discussed also the continuation of the programme with the IMF, the local public administration reform and the expansion of the commercial-economic collaboration. To this end, in April, a mission of US businessmen interested in investing in areas such as industry, agriculture, ICT or tourism will arrive in Chisinau. At the same time, a delegation of the US Congress will pay a visit to the Republic of Moldova, in relation to which the prime minister stressed the importance of capitalizing on the strategic dialogue between Chisinau and Washington. He stressed that the Republic of Moldova still counts on the support and assistance of the United States to ensure the sustainable development of the country on the basis of Western values. The framework for cooperation with the European Union, as well as the priorities of the internal reform agenda, require a major focus in order to ensure a real perspective of the Europeanization process of the Republic of Moldova. The tenth anniversary of the Eastern Partnership (EP) is a good opportunity to review the main outcomes and challenges and to formulate new objectives that will contribute to the improvement of the European integration and the implementation of EU standards and values. This was one of the key conclusions of the roundtable organized recently by IPRE in cooperation with the National Platform of the EP Civil Society Forum. During the event, a retrospective of the main results, as well as of the Republic of Moldova’s debates within the EP, was made. The most important results are: (1) a revised and strengthened dialogue and cooperation framework with the EU through the Association Agreement; (2) over 1.5 mln. of citizens have travelled to the EU due to the liberalization of the visa regime in April 2014. (3) the economic rapprochement of the EU due to the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area – the exports to the EU have increased from 53.26% in 2014 to 68.79% in 2018. The Diplomatic Institute of the Moldovan Foreign Office launched in March its courses aiming at providing highly qualified staff for both the diplomatic service and other central public administration Sorina Ștefârță made lots of jokes about which is why security is authorities that will promote the national interests of the Republic of Moldova in the international relations at a it and would have even a topical subject for all professional level. According to Minister Tudor Ulianovschi, We live in an increasingly laughed their heads off. the visible and invisible the necessity to open such an institution was dictated by the Republic of Moldova’s intention to promote a pro-active insecure world, in times But, as such a polemic is governments of the foreign policy, bringing as an example the deepening of diplomatic relations with countries from different regions, more troubled than unimaginable today, let’s planet. including opening this year of four new diplomatic missions. The key objective of the Institute consists in the professional ever ... Our Middle Ages assume the statement training of first-time employees of the Moldovan Foreign ancestors, I am almost as an axiom: an insecure It is true that every Office in fields of interest such as international law, the theory and practice of diplomatic negotiations, etiquette convinced, would have world in turbulent times, nation sees its security and protocol, security issues, diplomatic and consular correspondence, European integration, Moldovan diplomacy objectives and regional cooperation. The courses aim also to Monthly Bulletin, Nr. 3 (157), april 2019 improve the analytical and expertise capacities of the new 64, Sciusev str. MD-2012, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova, Tel-Fax: +373 22 21 09 86 generation of Moldovan diplomats. Website: www.ape.md E-mail: [email protected] APRIL 2019 2 Synthesis and Foreign Policy Debates problems in its own way. Thus, for a country comparable to us in terms There are a lot of elements of territory, Holland - out of the 41,526 square kilometres of the kingdom, 33,881 are land, the other 7645 being that create this puzzle of insecurity water - the biggest threat (at least in spring) is that the tulips may not in the “MD” version blossom ... I’m exaggerating, of course, even though the tulip is also a national symbol and a source of income for the Stela Jantuan, political analyst Dutch, so it is really not the case to look at it. However, compared with the country together with its people would flowers, Moldova’s “package” of worries like to leave? Do you feel safe at present, seems bigger and heavier. but also when you think about the future? For the citizens of the Republic of Moldova, everything appears to be I have to admit that I have never a source of insecurity in their own imagined that I will feel so vulnerable country: from the kindergartens and in my own country. And I don’t refer to schools for children to pensions (and “major” security issues, but to “trivial” for many, it’s the lack of it as pensions things: health, education, everyday life. are very small) and the quasi-abstract For me, the best indicator of a state’s character of the medical insurance; functionality is when people feel happy from officially good roads to the de and comfortable in their habitat. We do facto full of potholes, from villages not have such a feeling, unfortunately, increasingly haunted by criminals of all FOTO: EUROPA LIBERĂ and I think this is the result of both the sorts, to the eternal national question policies promoted - or less promoted, or aving been part of a political project “where to keep my small savings: at the poor policies - by the decision-makers and once for four years- she has been bank or in the jar? H our attitude. For we allow the decision part of the PDM’s parliamentary team makers not to keep their promises and – and then having detached from the Against the above-mentioned treat people strictly as an electoral pool, party for four more years, today Stela background, it is natural that the real which they remember only every four Jantuan says she cannot find herself security risks - defense, economic, years. De facto, we are an indifferent in any of the existent parties. She has informational, etc. - remain somehow in society that has no sense of community decided, at least for the moment, to stay the shadow of people’s daily concerns. and solidarity - and we are all suffering away from politics and observe closely Nobody thinks of it in terms of threat from that. I think it’s our education or the the political and social phenomena that that in order to cross the Nistru, you lack of education which is the reason. have to say you are going to a wedding take place in the Republic of Moldova. As observer she is often inconvenient or a funeral or that, as one of the We failed, because we didn’t set protagonists of this edition of the given her background of historian and newsletter, the media expert Dumitru sociologist but also her way of calling the development model from the Ţara says, the Black Sea missiles can things their name. Also with her I started start reach Chisinau as quickly as the news the conversation by asking how safe coming from there. she feels in her own country – in terms Is it not too harsh, however, to accuse of individual, institutional, and state people of politicians’ inability to govern Because, yes, in an insecure world in security. and, at the same time, of their enormous troubled times, security has various ability to lie and steal? aspects. About these we are inviting you Ms. Jantuan, how do you manage to read in the following newsletter. to live and work ... in the Republic of I don’t accuse anybody, but our Moldova, where it seems the entire politicians don’t really have the capacity Monthly Bulletin, Nr. 3 (157), april 2019 64, Sciusev str. MD-2012, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova, Tel-Fax: +373 22 21 09 86 Website: www.ape.md E-mail: [email protected] APRIL 2019 Synthesis and Foreign Policy Debates 3 to govern, develop policies, and propose almost anecdotal way, the social policies, Sometimes it seems to me that we went development visions for more than four for example, are limited now to pensions, back 300 years ago..