SALW Survey of Moldova Briceni M o l d o v a Edinți Balți Ribnița Falesti Dubasari CHIȘINAU Bender ROMANIA Tiraspol Leova UKRAINE Chaul South Eastern and Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons ISBN 86-7728-015-4 9 7 8 8 6 7 7 2 8 0 1 5 4 SEESAC Internacionalnih Brigada 56, 11 000 Belgrade, Serbia South Eastern and Eastern Europe Clearinghouse Tel. (+381) (11) 344 6353 / Fax. (+381) (11) 344 6356 for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons URL: www.seesac.org / Email: [email protected] SALW Survey of Moldova (2006-07-01) The South Eastern and Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SEESAC) has a mandate from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe (SCSP) to further support all international and national stakeholders by strengthening national and regional capacity to control and reduce the proliferation and misuse of small arms and light weapons, and thus contribute to enhanced stability, security and development in South Eastern and Eastern Europe. For further information contact: Head, SEESAC Internacionalnih Brigada 56 11000 Belgrade Serbia Tel: (+381) (11) 344 6353 Fax: (+381) (11) 344 6356 www.seesac.org SALW Survey of Moldova, SEESAC 2006 Acknowledgements The report was researched jointly by Zachary Taylor and David Wood of Saferworld and by Viorel Cibotaru, Iurie Pintea and Ana Rudico of the Chişinău based Institute for Public Policy (IPP). The report was written by David Wood and was edited and project managed by Simon Rynn and Henry Smith of Saferworld, with additional editorial support provided by Anna Richards of Saferworld. The Household Survey and Focus Groups were conducted by Chişinău-based CBS-AXA and support organising civil society interviews was provided by the NGO Contact Centre. The contents of the SALW Survey were discussed with the contributing ministries and agencies of the Government of the Republic of Moldova during December 2005 and disseminated for final feedback and consultation in March 2006. The report was researched between September 2005 and January 2006. Oversight, copy editing and project management were provided by Adrian Wilkinson and Anya Hart-Dyke of SEESAC. Extensive factual and editorial contributions were provided by the OSCE Mission in Chişinău and UNDP Moldova. Graphic design and layout was conducted by Katarina Stankovic Bjegovic. SEESAC 2006 – All rights reserved ISBN: 86-7728-014-6 The views expressed in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the European Union, the United Nations Development Programme or the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe. The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of the European Union, the United Nations Development Programme or the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe concerning 1) the legal status of any country, territory or area, or of its authorities or armed groups; or 2) concerning the delineation of its frontiers or boundaries. SALW Survey of Moldova (2006-07-01) Acronyms and abbreviations ADGT Arms and Dual-Use Goods and Technologies ATT Arms Trade Treaty BAFA Federal Office of Economics and Export Control (Germany) BGS Border Guard Service BGT Border Guard Troops BUMAD Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova Anti-Drugs Programme CAA Civil Aviation Authority CDPP Christian Democratic People’s Party CFE Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe CIS Commonwealth of Independent States CPM Communist Party of Moldova CSBM Confidence and Security Building Measures CSO Civil Society Organisation DCOC Department for Combating Organised Crime DoPO Department of Public Order DMR Dniestrian Moldovan Republic EC European Commission ENP European Neighbourhood Policy EU European Union EU CoC EU Code of Conduct on Arms Exports EUSR European Special Representative FDI Foreign Direct Investment FGD Focus Group Discussion FSU Former Soviet Union GDP Gross Domestic Product GUAM Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova (political organisation) HFAM Hunting and Fishing Association of Moldova HHS Household Survey ICC Interdepartmental Control Commission ICD International Classification of Diseases ICG International Crisis Group IDP Internally Displaced Person(s) IOM International Organisation for Migration ISD Internal Security Division IPP Institute for Public Policy IPAP Individual Partnership Action Plan IWPR Institute of War and Peace Reporting JCC Joint Control Commission JMC Joint Military Command JPKF Joint Peace Keeping Forces KII Key Informant Interview MANPADS Man-Portable Air Defence System i SALW Survey of Moldova (2006-07-01) MFA Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration MIA Ministry of Internal Affairs MoD Ministry of Defence MoE Ministry of Economy and Commerce MoH Ministry of Health MoJ Ministry of Justice MoR Ministry of Reintegration MoU Memorandum of Understanding NAMSA NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organisation NCB National Control Bureau (INTERPOL liaison office) NFP National Focal Point NGO Non-Governmental Organisation OGRF Operational Group of Russian Forces OSCE Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe PCA EU Partnership and Co-operation Agreement PDGC Private Detective and Guard Companies PfP Partnership for Peace PMC OSCE Voluntary Fund Programme Management Cell PMR Pridnestrovskaya Moldovskaya Respublika PoAUN Programme of Action to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects RPG Rocket Propelled Grenade launcher RPK Ruchnoi Pulemet Kalashnikova/ Kalashnikov light machine gun PSC Private Security Company RAAS Rocket and Artillery Armament Section RACVIAC Regional Arms Control and Verification Implementation Assistance Centre RF Russian Federation RMDS/G Regional Micro-Disarmament Standards/Guidelines SAA Small Arms Ammunition SALW Small Arms and Light Weapons SECI Southeast European Cooperative Initiative SEE Southeast Europe SEESAC South Eastern and Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of SALW SGS State Guard Service SIS Information and Security Service SKS Samozaradny Karabin Symonova (self-loading carbine system) SSR Security Sector Reform SSRM Soviet Socialist Republic of Moldova UN United Nations UNDDA United Nations Department for Disarmament Affairs UNDP United Nations Development Programme UXO Unexploded Ordnance USSR Union of Soviet Socialist Republics WTO World Trade Organisation ii SALW Survey of Moldova (2006-07-01) Executive Summary Background The SALW Survey of Moldova is a report on Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) and human security issues in Moldova, researched by the non-governmental organisations Saferworld (UK) and the Institute for Public Policy (Moldova) between September 2005 and January 2006. The report is comprehensive in scope, considering not only the distribution of SALW in the country, but also its impact on individuals, communities and the state, public attitudes and perceptions towards arms and security, and the capacity of state institutions to control the proliferation and misuse of SALW. In order to aid policy-makers in developing effective responses to the SALW control challenges facing Moldova at this time, periodic consultation meetings were organised in late 2005 by the Survey team as part of the research process so that officials from the Moldovan Government, the Transdniestrian authorities and international organisations might review preliminary research findings and comment on them. The views expressed during these consultations are reflected in the final research report. They have also informed the recommendations offered to the Moldovan Government by the Survey team in a separate document. In the same way that the research methods for this study were chosen to reflect the situation as it presently exists, the format of the final report also reflects the constitutional and conflict realities of contemporary Moldova. The Survey is divided into three sections, with the situations in the Gagauz Yeri autonomous region, Transdniestria and the Security Zone (a jointly-administered demilitarised area along the internal border) and the remaining territory controlled by the internationally recognised Government of Moldova, each presented separately. This format and the research that has been undertaken by the Survey team does not in any way support or contest the legality of the administration in Transdniestria, but simply reflects the SALW control realities on the ground. Introduction Moldova has undergone one of the more difficult and uneven transition processes of all post-soviet republics. In part, this has been due to the country’s uncertain political direction, positioned as it is between an expanding European Union to the west and Russia and the Ukraine to the east. It is, however, the internal conflicts that took place in the early 1990s in the Gagauz and Transdniestrian regions of the country that have impeded transition and reform to the greatest degree. Indeed, while a political agreement has since been reached on the autonomy of Gagauz Yeri, settlement of the conflict in Transdniestria has proved elusive. As a result, a politically separate entity, the ‘Dniestrian Moldovan Republic’ (DMR), endowed with its own armed forces and a functioning government administration has now been established within Moldova’s internationally recognised borders for most of the post-soviet period. Failure to resolve the Transdniestrian conflict has meant that