Group of Rapporteurs for Democracy of CE Committee of Ministers collect facts about situation in Moldova

The Group of Rapporteurs for Democracy of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe gathers evidence about the situation in Moldova, especially about the events that followed after the April 5 parliamentary elections. The delegation of the Group of Rapporteurs Tuesday had a meeting with outgoing Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Andrei Stratan, Info-Prim Neo reports, quoting a communiqué from the Foreign Ministry. The delegation was headed by Ambassador Eberhardt Kölsch, Germany’s Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe, and included the Ambassadors of Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, Lithuania and Hungary in Strasbourg and members of the Council of Europe Secretariat. Eberhardt Kölsch stressed that at the end of the visit they will prepare a report with conclusions and recommendations. The members of the delegation inquired about Moldova’s relations with the neighboring countries and the foreign policy priorities, especially under the Eastern Partnership. Andrei Stratan presented the Moldovan authorities’ position on the events that took place after the legislative elections, which were “the result of the actions carried out in all probability by destructive and destabilizing forces.” The minister reiterated that regardless of the circumstances, the European integration remains Moldova’s major objective and asked the European partners to contribute to the opening of talks over a new agreement between Moldova and the European Union. The Moldovan official also said that no matter what statements the political leaders from some of the neighboring states make, the promotion of pragmatic and efficient bilateral relations is of major importance to Moldova. Earlier, the Moldovan authorities accused the Opposition parties and Romania of being involved in the organization of an attempted coup on April 7, when the buildings of the Parliament and the Presidential Office were devastated as a result of violent protests. The European organizations called on the power and the opposition to hold a dialog to find a viable solution to the political crisis that followed after the April 5 elections, whose results were challenged by the Opposition.