Kalman Mizsei: Moldovan authorities should cancel visa regime with Romania

“The Moldovan authorities must cancel the visa regime imposed on Romanian travelers for its own benefit,” the EU Special Representative for Moldova Kalman Mizsei said in an interview for the Romanian publication “Romania Libera” (“Free Romania”), quoted by Info-Prim Neo. Kalman Mizsei stressed that the Romanian authorities had not been involved in the events that happened in Chisinau on April 7. The EU representative stated that Moldova’s union with Romania is not on the EU’s agenda, saying yet that any discussion of the kind starts with the international legislation that guarantees the sovereignty and inviolability of borders. He also said that he prefers to speak about what can bring Moldova closer to Romania, not about what separates them. “It is very important that two neighbors with such historical ties as Romania and Moldova, with ties that continue to connect the peoples of the two countries, have relations of European type,” Mizsei said. Speaking about Moldova’s aspirations for European integration, the official said that the talks over a new agreement with the EU could be opened soon. “I hope that Moldova will fulfill the conditions imposed by the EU as soon as possible so that its people could travel freely to the West or have access to the European labor market.” Kalman Mizsei reiterated the necessity of finishing the democratic reforms concerning the independence of justice, impartiality and integrity of the public broadcasters, change of the mentality of police officers. “I would like to see serious reforms and a dynamic and profound integration,” Mizsei said. As to the US$500 million loan offered by Russia to Moldova, the EU Representative said that the real volume of the loan and the related conditions should be monitored. Kalman Mizsei also spoke about the necessity of OSCE monitoring the July 29 elections. “The international community will follow attentively the way in which the elections will be conducted. The most important aspects on which the international organizations will concentrate are the use of the resources and the provision of equal access for all the contenders to the mass media,” he said. Kalman Mizsei was named the EU Special Representative for Moldova in February 2007. His tenure expired in 2009, but was extended until 2010.