Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 05/16/2018 12:03:48 PM PDM NEWSLETTER I MAY 2018 If you haven't already seen the news, I am delighted to share that Cristinil Ba Ian has been nominated to serve as the next Moldovan Ambassador to the United States, Cristina has worked tirelessly on U.S.-Moldovan ties over the last several years, and she is committed to deepening the partnership between our countries over the next several years. For those of you who have met Cristina either in Chisinau or Washington, you know that she is a strong choice. And for those of you who have yet to meet her, you will no doubt be impressed with her and her ability to represent Moldova in Washington. Vladimir Plahotniuc Chairman Democratic Party of Moldova Cristina Ba/an was nominated for the office of the Republic of Moldova Ambassador to the US. {Publika.md) Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 05/16/2018 12:03:48 PM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 05/16/2018 12:03:48 PM : , I (Associated Press) Moldova has nominJted a female politician, Cristina Balan, as it~ next ambassador to the United States. Bal' an is a senior member of the Democratic' ' Party of Moldova. USAID Ready to Help Moldova's Development through Investment and Partnership Chairman of the Democratic Party, Vladimir Plahotniuc. meets with Brock Bierman, Assista_nt Admmistraror for usA1D. (PDM.md) (PDM.md) Chairman of the Democratic Party, Vladimir Plahotniuc, had a meeting with Brock Bierman, Assistant Administrator for Europe and Eurasia of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). During this meeting, Plahotniuc expressed gratitude for the support and trust that the American citizens have invested in the Republic of Moldova. Moldovan Parliament Asks US Congress for Support in Transnistrian Issue (Eurasia Daily) Speaker of Moldovan Parliament Andrian Candu says the United States Congress will consider a resolution to support Moldova's accession to the European Union and to demand withdrawal of the Russian troops from Received by NSD/F ARA Registration Unit 05/16/2018 12:03:48 PM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 05/16/2018 12:03:48 PM Transnistria. While in Washington, Candu met with a group of congressmen and discussed the current political situation in the region. OSCE announces a 5+2 meeting in Rome, following continued progress on reaching agreements within the Transnistrian Settlement Process (OSCE.org) Ambassador Alessandro Azzoni, Chairperson of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Permanent Council, announced during a session of the Council on May 10 that the Italian OSCE Chairmanship welcomes the recent positive developments in the Transnistrian Settlement Process. The goal of the 5+2 talks is to work out the parameters of a comprehensive settlement based on the sovereignty and territorial integrity _of the Republic of Moldova within its internationally recognized borders with a special status for Transnistria, as reconfirmed by all 57 participating States in the Ministerial Council Statement in Vienna in 2017. Moldova asks UN to Interfere into Transnistrian Conflict Settlement (Eurasia Daily) Chisinau believes that the UN must exert intensive pressure upon the process of the Transnistrian conflict settlement. Speaking at th_e UN General Assembly session in New York, Moldovan Foreign Minister Tudor Ulianovschi has called the UN to involve corresponding institutions to protect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the member states. Moldova and Ukraine Sign Deals to Boost Economic Ties (Balkan Insight) Officials from Moldova and Ukraine signed two cooperation documents in Kiev to liberalize ground and air transport between the two countries - part of attempts to boost economic cooperation. The new agreements will reduce bureaucracy and eliminate authorizations so people and goods can travel more·treely between Ukraine and Moldova. Moldova Initiates Raising Awareness on the Importance of Nondiscrimination (Council of Europe) The Council for Prevention and Elimination Discrimination and Ensuring Equality of Moldova in collaboration with the joint European Union/Council of Europe project "Supporting national efforts for prevention and combating Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 05/16/2018 12:03:48 PM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 05/16/2018 12:03:48 PM discrimination in Moldova," announced the launch of the national awareness campaign "Learning through the dialogue between generations." EBRO Affirms Moldova's 201.8 GDP Growth Forecast (SeeNews) The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRO) said on Wednesday it has maintained its November fore'cast for Moldova's economic growth in 2018 at 3.5%. Moldova's economy is expected to grow by 4.0% in 2019. the EBRO said in its new Regional Economic Prospects report. Will Inventive Solar Scheme be Moldova's Moment in the Sun? (SeeNews) Virtual currencies are set to be at the heart of an ambitious scheme to bring solar power to parts of Europe. In what is claimed to be a world first, the currencies are being used to encourage the switch to renewable power. A pilot project in Moldova is set to launch in September and if it is a success, similar schemes could be rolled out in Romania, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and even the rest of Europe. UNDP. Solar Currency Exchange to Power up Moldovan University Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 05/16/2018 12:03:48 PM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 05/16/2018 12:03:48 PM Thanks to a new cryptocurrenr.;y initiative. one of Moldova's largest universities will reach zero cost within the nex:t 20 years (UNDP) ( UNDP) The UN Development Programme (UNDP) is teaming up with Sun Exchange - a marketplace t.hat finances solar powerwith cryptocurrency-to help one of Moldova's largest universities go solar. The establishment is expected to me.et most of its energy needs from solar power overnight and make cqnsiderable savings on its bills, thanks to rooftop installations expected to reach 15,000 square meters in surface area. The Wonders Galore Of Mimi Castle .In Moldova (Tsarism) Just outside of Chisinau, the capital of the former Soviet republic of Moldova, is a must-see tourist destination for wine lovers. Mimi Castle, founded by the last governor of Bessarabia, Constantin Mimi. in 1893, has reopened to the public in all its splendor, after being closed during the existence of the Soviet Union. Mimi was a great winemaker during his time and niade most of the USSR's wine during the Soviet period. It was not until the fall of the communist regime that workers began to remove the concrete exterior of the main building and found an architectural gem fashioned after the French style. Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 05/16/2018 12:03:48 PM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 05/16/2018 12:03:48 PM From Georgia to Lebanon. Exploring the Best Wines of the Ancient World ( The Guardian) Dividing the wine world into the "old" and the "new" can blind us to the joys of wine from places that don't quite fit the mold, especially those places which have a very long history of winemaking, yet are considered marginal both in terms of production quantity and prestige. Moldova has emerged as a fledgling wine producer with great promise thanks to its latitude, the maritime climate, and the long­ established presence of French grape varieties. -·--· ---·---- ---·-----·-·----. -----·------ -----· --- - ---~--------- This material is distributed by Cogent Strategies on behalf of the Democratic Party of Moldova. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington 1 DC.· Unsubscribe Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 05/16/2018 12:03:48 PM .