AMN leader launches initiative to step up signing Convention on small border traffic

The leader of the Moldova Noastra Alliance (AMN), Serafim Urecheanu, has launched an initiative to collect signatures of the citizens dissatisfied with the Moldovan authorities’ refusal to sign the Convention on small traffic across the border with Romania. The announcement was made on Wednesday, April 30, at a news conference, Info-Prim Neo reports. According to Serafim Urecheanu, signing that convention could bring benefits to the population, but would also consolidate the relationships between Moldova and Romania and with the EU. The AMN leader says a number of people called on the party for help. The citizens from the localities near the Prut frontier have made their living by exporting agricultural produce to Romania. Now they are left to survive on miserable salaries and pensions. On the other hand, many businesspeople bought houses in that area hoping to have the possibility of promoting their businesses in the EU. Not signing the Convention, the Communists have humiliated the citizens of their own country, proving once more they have never wanted to get closer to the EU and everything they stated in this respect was but lies to get more votes, the AMN leader has said. “We regretfully find that the Chisinau Government, even after its last change of figure, refuses to sign this Convention with the Bucharest Government, defying the EU and prejudicing the interests of the Moldovan citizens from the localities directly envisaged by this Convention,” Urecheanu has stated. The AMN president expressed his conviction that if submitted the citizens’ signatures, the Government will feel compelled by its own citizens to sign the Convention. Serafim Urecheanu has reiterated that AMN is a pro-European party and has repeatedly tried to make the Parliament to include into its agenda the issue of submitting an official application to join the EU. “The Communists have blocked this initiative every time, what proves that their goal is not integrating into the EU. At the same time they are attracted by the loans, grants received from the West, as well as by the money gained by the Moldovan citizens,” he stated. The draft Convention on the small border traffic was forwarded by the Romanian Government to the Moldovan Government on March 25, this year. The draft provides that the Moldovan citizens living on an area of 30 km from the border with Romania will be able to the neighboring country without visas, on the basis of a special permit valid up to five years. Also on April 30, another political party – the Liberal Democratic Party - announced it would organize meetings with citizens on May 11 top get their support to step up signing the Convention on the small border traffic. The moves are aimed at making aware the public opinion, Vlad Filat said. The meetings will end by adopting resolutions in which the participants will demand speeding up signing of the Convention. Those resolutions will be handed to the Government. On May 25 the party plans to organize a wide people’s manifestation in this regard.