Representatives of a number of human rights public organizations of the Eastern Partnership came together in Chisinau to discuss the human rights situation in the region. In the opening of the two-day event, the Head of the EU Delegation to Moldova Pirkka Tapiola said the European Union wants an Eastern Partnership area open to the people, not to the political elite, IPN reports.
The European official noted that the human rights are the best guarantee of stability in a state. Referring to the situation in Moldova, Pirkka Tapiola said there are a number of areas where the human rights and freedoms can worsen. He underlined, among others, the concerns about the concentration of a number of media sources in one hand.
“We follow attentively the right to assembly and the existent control over demonstrations. We have a continuous dialogue with representatives of the Ministry of the Interior in this regard. I admit that the representatives of the law enforcement bides are receptive to my observations, but, according to the principles existing in the EU, they should not forget in whose service they are because the public order is not for those who rule, but is for ensuring the protection and rights of the people,” stated the diplomat.
Pirkka Tapiola added that a state that wants to reach stability and development must center on the understanding of the European values.
Director of the human rights association “Promo-LEX” Ion Manole said each country of the EaP has its own geopolitical difficulties, but the ensuring of human rights is the most important objective for ensuring stability in the region. The problem of human rights becomes more acute in the context of the conflict in Ukraine and the price paid by the Ukrainian people for its democratic aspirations. The human rights often yield to the political interests, which become more important, while the rights are placed second and left until better times. Everyone should yet realize that the human values are an important instrument in building a democratic society.
