Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 02/14/2019 5:15:41 PM From: Claire Burahoff To: Cc: Subject: Submission on Behalf o e Democratic Party of Moldova Spokesman Date: Tuesday, February 5, 2019 1:38:23 PM Attachments: Bio Vitalie Gamurari rev.21.01.20191.docx FINAL Moldova at Crossroads Garmurari.docx Ravi, On behalf of Mr. Vitalie Gamurari, the official spokesman for the Democratic Party of Moldova, I am submitting the attached piece exclusively to FP. At the end of the month, Moldova will hold its national elections, which have been the target of overt Russian influence (background here, here, and here). In this piece, DPM Spokesman Gamurari makes that argument that the elections' outcome will have significant consequences for not only Moldova but also the country's Western allies and democracy. I have submitted the piece via your website and am attaching it and Mr. Gamurari's bio for your review. Appreciate the consideration. Please let me know if you have any questions. MCB This material is distributed by Cornerstone Government Affairs on behalf of the Democratic Party of Moldova. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, D.C. Claire Burghoff | Vice President, Public Affairs CORNERSTONE GOVERN WENT AFFAIRS Annapolis | Atlanta | Austin | Baton Rouge | Chicago Des Moines | Houston | Jackson | Springfield | Washington 800 Maine Avenue SW, 7th Floor Washington, DC 20024 www.cgagroup.com | @CGAgroup Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 02/14/2019 5:15:41 PM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 02/14/2019 5:15:41 PM Moldova at a Crossroads Mr. Vitalie Gamurari 732 Words Moldova is at a critical inflection point—our country's upcoming national election could shift the nation back into Russia's sphere of influence. This would be a massive blow for Moldova, democracy, and freedom in Eastern Europe. Russia's primary goal is to ensure that Moldova and our neighbors, Ukraine and Georgia, steer clear of active assimilation with the West. Further integration by Chisinau and the region into democratic organizations, such as NATO, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund, are not in Russia's best interest. Rather, a reversal of Moldova's amalgamation with the United States and the EU would be a significant victory for Russia and the aggressive, militaristic actions of Putin. To achieve their desired outcome, Moscow has been engaging in blatant Moldovan election interference that could result in Socialist governance and freeze or reverse the integration process with the United States and the European Union. Russia's Interior Ministry has decreed that Moldovans who have overstayed their residence permits in Russia must return to Moldova from January 1 to February 25 and then can return to Russia without penalization—one day after the federal election. This ensures the 160,000 Moldovans working in Russia, who generally support the pro-Russian Socialists party, are home during the election and significantly increases the odds they cast a ballot in favor of Russia's preferred candidates. Prime Minister Pavel Filip has warned the move would be "considered an intervention" by Russia in the Moldovan election. At the same time, the Russian government has toyed with Moldovan trade prohibitions in an attempt to starve Moldova's economy and create unrest. Russian media outlet TASS reported that the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova has already committed to full cooperation with Russia immediately after the elections in the event of a PSRM parliamentary takeover, and the PSRM leader, President Igor Dodon, himself wrote on Facebook, "I emphasized Moldova's interest in restoring full trade and economic cooperation with Russia as soon as possible." In response to the obvious ploy, the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of Moldova, Georgia, and Ukraine recently issued a joint resolution categorizing Russia's actions in the Kerch Strait as "a blatant violation of international law" that represent a continuation of "direct military aggression." This statement underlines the three countries' support for territorial integrity and sovereignty and condemns "Russia's occupation and annexation by military force and illegal actions." The Inter-Parliamentary Assembly also warned that Russia may be about to escalate its armed conflict with Ukraine and expand their occupation of Moldova, which currently sits at 11 percent of our sovereign territory. Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 02/14/2019 5:15:41 PM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 02/14/2019 5:15:41 PM If and when this happens, it will not have been without warning. Alarms have already been sounded about Russia's military build-up, including by those in the United States. In an interview with the Military Times, U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, the recently retired commander of U.S. Army Europe, expressed his concerns that the Russian government is seeking to redraw its borders. In the absence of Western pushback, he said, "[Russia] won't stop until they completely own the Sea of Azov...The next phase will probably be land and sea operations that would eventually secure maybe even Mariupol but continue to take the Ukrainian coastlineand connect Crimea back up to Russia along the Sea of Azov." The stakes in February's election could not be higher; we know Russia is directly interfering in the electoral process using disinformation, propaganda, and fake social media to sway voters. The risk for the United States is that Moldova falls to Russia at the ballot box just before Ukraine falls under the gun. The Inter-Parliamentary Assembly has called on the international community - especially the EU and United States - to act against Russia's actions in the region whilst also politically supporting democratic Eastern European States. We need support to consolidate Eastern Europe's democratic gains. Moldova has made tremendous strides towards the West. Our electoral, financial, legal, and judicial systems are now more transparent and independent than ever; the Democratic Party is committed to continuing Moldova on this path. However, Russian-backed Socialists want to roll back 10 years of this amazing progress in Chisinau, and Moscow will continue testing Moldova and our Ukrainian, Georgian, and American allies until their aggression is checked. Putin seemingly has little to lose. If successful, Moscow's interference and military intervention have only one result—game, set, match Putin. That would be a travesty for Moldova, our Western allies, and democracy. Vitalie Gamurari, PhD, is an international expert in law and analyst of the evolution processes of international systems of law. Currently, he is the spokesperson of the Democratic Party of Moldova, the country's main governing party. Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 02/14/2019 5:15:41 PM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 02/14/2019 5:15:41 PM Vitalie GAMURARI Vitalie Gamurari, PhD is an international expert in Law and analyst of the evolution processes of international systems of law. Currently, he is the Spokesperson of the Democratic Party of Moldova, the main governing party in Moldova. With an extensive academic background, since 2015 Mr. Gamurari has been the Director of the Doctoral School of Law of the Free International University of Moldova. During his academic work, Vitalie Gamurari has lectured in most postgraduate education institutions in Moldova and abroad, including in France, Italy, Lithuania, Belarus, Romania, Ukraine, and Russia. For the last 20 years, Mr. Gamurari has published over 130 scientific articles in public international law, international humanitarian law, transitional justice, and international liability. Over the years, Vitalie Gamurari has been involved in multiple judicial analysis projects, working closely as an expert with the International Committee of the Red Cross and the University of Minnesota. Since 2017, he has been President of the Board of the Foundation for a Modern Democracy, a think tank and platform for debates and analyses on social and political environments in Moldova, aiming to strengthen the cooperation between regional civil society actors, academics and key political stakeholders. Mr. Gamurari speaks Romanian, English, French, and Russian languages. Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 02/14/2019 5:15:41 PM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 02/14/2019 5:23:51 PM From: Claire Burghoff Sent: Wednesday, February 6, 2019 6:31 PM To: Subject: Foreign Minister Available in DC RE: Russia, Syria, ISIS, and the threat to NATO Hey Jonathan - Elope you're doing well. I've left Ranking Member Womack's office and moved to Cornerstone Public Affairs. I'm hoping Fox & Friends might be interested in having one of our clients - Moldovan Minister of Foreign Affairs Tudor Ulianovschi - on this Saturday at any time to discuss ISIS and Russia. The MFA is in Washington for the meeting of the Ministers of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS. President Trump spoke to the group today. MFA Ulianovschi will also be participating in a roundtable that the Atlantic Council to discuss the future of Moldova and its European integration and the influence of Russia in Moldova during his visit. MFA Ulianovschi is extremely qualified and well-spoken. He has served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of the Republic of Moldova since January 2018. Previously, he was the Moldovan representative to NATO and the World Trade Organization. He has also spent time at various Moldovan embassies around the world, including in Washington, D.C.