On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the declaration of Moldova’s Independence, IPN News Agency decided to depict the portrait of the current Republic of Moldova. For the purpose, we challenged a number of people, including state officials, politicians, businessmen, civil rights activists and persons without posts and titles, but who have what to say. The generic picture is entitled “Thoughts about and for Moldova”.
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Andrian Candu, Speaker of the Parliament: I am most happy about overcoming our uncertainty, our wavering between East and West.
– Mr. Candu, thank you for agreeing to this interview on the occasion of our 25th anniversary of Independence. How do assess Moldova’s situation after this quarter of a century?
– I should thank you for giving so much attention to this extremely important event. After 25 years of Independence, Moldova is engaged in a vast process of modernization and transformation. Changes we have been waiting for since the proclamation of Independence are finally taking place. Most importantly, like never before we have the political will and determination to carry out reforms that will have a major impact on the quality of people’s lives.
I am most happy about overcoming those moments of uncertainty, of wavering between East and West, and the endless disputes that blocked any attempt to develop and to choose the best path for us to follow. I think it’s proper to compare our situation with that of a 25 year old young man. He is now a grown up, he finished his studies, specializing in a certain field, he chose a path and is advancing towards a certain goal. We can say the same about Moldova. We have advanced considerably towards European integration, we have the liberalized visa regime, we started implementing the Association Agreement, we have a completed roadmap, and most importantly, we are reforming the most crucial fields.
There’s always room for improvement. Our people deserve better and during these years it wasn’t always their fault that some political decisions were taken to their detriment. However, only if we are united we will able to accomplish this national project – integration in the big EU family.
– Both the previous and the current government said Moldova must walk on the European path. How did our country use the chance to get closer to the EU? Where are we on this path?
– You are wrong when saying that only the government thinks we should move towards the EU. Most of the people want this as well, as proven by the result of the last elections. The governing parties didn’t keep this goal a secret, people knew what they were voting for. And the fact that we are continuing on the path towards the EU today is thanks to them. We are already making the most of this chance. All the reforms, restructuring, implemented projects, legal improvements are done with the support and consultancy of our European partners. We are at the stage of implementation of the Association Agreement and are negotiating a new action plan with clear commitments for the fall parliamentary session.
– The chairman of your party, Marian Lupu, said Moldova could apply for EU membership in 2019. What conditions should be met for this to happen?
– Moldova deserves to be a member with full rights of the EU family. The transformations we are undergoing now are meant to bring us in line with the highly developed countries, which are a model for us. We must continue to work, to grow and reach that stage well-prepared. I have to admit I cannot wait myself to submit the membership request, but every step needs to be taken rationally, safely and in accordance with the expectations of our partners that assist us in achieving this goal. We got a vote of confidence from the people to lead the country towards the EU.
– The government announced that a strategy for offering the Transnistrian region special legal status within Moldova would soon be published. How do you see this status? There are people who claim Russia is using Germany to put pressure on Moldova, is this true?
– I have to stress that national security is one of our main preoccupations. Peace and safety for the people are very important for us. That’s why, for the first time, the Transnistrian file is examined in the Parliament. We have a parliamentary platform of consultancy and control for the implementation of reintegration policies. Its members include leaders of parliamentary commissions from various parties, the Parliament leadership, the Foreign Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration and former negotiators. During the meetings of this group, I realized we need to offer the government solidarity and political support to find workable solutions that would have a nationwide impact and get us closer to the goal of reintegrating the country.
As part of his visit in Chisinau, OSCE acting chairman and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier showed interest in the works of the platform and welcomed the inclusion of the parliamentary dimension in this process and the fact that we will tackle the concept of a special legal status, the regulations for the strengthening of the negotiators’ mandate, and roadmap with actions that will help us solve the Transnistrian conflict. If we are talking about what happened in these 25 years of Independence, this fracture of the country along the Nistru River and the continuation of the Transnistrian conflict is one of the main obstacles for progress.
As regards those commenting on Germany’s attitude and its being influenced or not by Russia within the 5+2 negotiations, I urge them to stop speculating because this topic is too complex and painful to be discussed over a cup of coffee.
– How do you assess the evolution of our relationship with the Russian Federation, including the economic aspect?
– Russia is still an important partner for us. We find its recent harsh decisions hard to understand and they had a negative impact on our economy. However, we will overcome this barrier because we truly want to. Our colleagues in the Cabinet had a constructive discussion with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitri Rogozin, who visited Moldova at the beginning of July. We sent a clear message that we want to increase trade and investment relations with our Russian partners, especially by resuming wine exports towards Russia.
– As concerns domestic dialogue, we have witnessed lately an intensification of communication with authorities in Comrat. What are the near future priorities in this regard?
– We have the understanding, results and determination to continue the dialogue between the Parliament and the Gagauz autonomy authorities. The progress we made in this direction is shown in the first semester report of the parliamentary work group for relations with the Gagauz People’s Assembly. The group adopted 21 decisions and sent them to authorities as recommendations, in order to find solutions for current problems. With the mediation of Crisis Management Initiative, the members of the parliamentary work group visited three autonomous regions in the EU – South Tirol in Italy, Wales in the UK, and the Aland Islands in Finland, in order to learn more about solving problems in the relations between autonomous regions and central authorities. Within this communication platform, we are examining several amendment proposals that would help clearly separate the competences of local and central authorities. The work group has all the necessary parliamentary support and presenting these amendment initiatives is the first step towards including them in the legislative process. The biggest problem until now was the lack of information which generated suspicions and mistrust on both sides.
– At the end of 2014, we found out about “the theft of the billion”. Is there any chance left to recover that money and punish the thieves?
“The theft of the billion” or “the theft of the century”, regardless of how we call it, these money laundering and fraud schemes are a black stain on our country’s image and on our economy. The actions we took over the past year to solve this case show an inter-institutional mobilization and collaboration of the highest quality. I want those responsible of this theft to be apprehended, to answer before the law and I’m confident this will happen. It’s a crime to rob your country like this and throw it into chaos. It’s not only about irresponsibility and incompetence, but about greedy and treacherous persons who abused the people’s trust and gained political capital only in order to get rich.
The most well-known names linked to this case have already been arrested. The process is still ongoing and the investigation is advancing. The goal is not only to catch the criminals and to dismantle the fraud schemes, but to find where the money went and to recover it.
These schemes depended on the actions of high-ranking dignitaries, who contributed to this fraud. Of course, the foundations of the financial-banking system in our country are not stable and this is why our partners insist on reforming this sector.
– What should Moldova do to regain the trust of its partners and what impact will the upcoming IMF agreement have?
– The International Monetary Fund won’t simply finance us, but will boost our credibility with other international partners. Mutual trust is hugely important in establishing and strengthening relations with European countries. It wasn’t simple to achieve this, we worked a lot to meet the IMF’s requirements. I am so happy we managed to become a success model again, in the eyes of our foreign partners as well. We have a duty to continue implementing reforms at this pace and continue the excellent cooperation between the Parliament and the Cabinet.
– I have to ask you about the next parliamentary elections. You once said that the Democratic Party would announce its candidate in August and did not rule our running yourself. At what stage of finding a candidate are the Democrats? What are your expectations concerning the elections and how should the next President be?
– There is a principle in the Democratic Party all members must respect: decisions are taken as a team and well-thought. This case won’t be an exception. The list of important issues for country is long and we have more urgent tasks at hand. It is true, the Presidential Office cannot be neglected, but we will talk more about it at the right moment. You are right when saying that my participation in the election is a possibility, but the same is true for every PDM member. More importantly, I think, is to make sure that the elections are organized in a democratic manner. All candidates should respect the law so that the people will choose someone who truly deserves to represent them as the head of the state. The very fact that people are able again to directly elect their President, thanks to a decision of the Constitutional Court, proves Moldova is moving towards the rule of law.
– Other people we have interviewed as part of this series told us that the independence of our country can be assessed by look at how independent some state bodies like the Anticorruption Center, the Prosecutor’s Office or the judges are. Polls show people don’t trust them much. When will things change in this regard?
– Increasing the people’s trust in state institutions is one of goals we consider when adopting laws regarding the reformation of these institutions. I know the expectations are high and there is little patience, but the effect of changes is starting to be felt. An example is the investigation of the banking fraud. The institutions you named are working independently, employing all the necessary legal instruments. The reform of the judiciary is the most difficult of all, but Moldova has the political will do carry it out. The Parliament adopted several amendments, including some concerning the integrity package, which show a new approach in this field.
– If a child asked you why he or she should be proud of being a Moldovan citizen, what would you answer?
– Children must receive patriotic education, they should be taught to love their country and be proud of it. Sometimes it’s more difficult to explain something to a child than to a grown-up, because kids are attentive to all the details and more honest. Moldovan children should be proud of their native country because they have roots here and are part of everything that Moldova means. They are the future, those who will continue and make the next changes. Only people who love their country with all their heart can bring about changes for the better. I have faith in our young generation. During the event we organized in the Parliament on the International Children’s Day, I met many optimistic kids willing to participate in the process of change and I encourage them to continue to be like this. I am sure the Moldova they have in mind is the same as we all want it to be – prosperous, peaceful, with happy people.
In this context, I have a message for all our politicians, because the present and future of Moldova depend on them. They should keep in mind a quote by Mihai Eminescu: “The mistakes of a politician are crimes, as millions of innocent people suffer because of them, the whole country’s development is slowed down and the future is undermined for decades ahead”. I hope this message will reach our current and future politicians. Our country needs good, experienced, smart people in order to build a strong Moldovan state.
– What are your thoughts for the country on the eve of the 25th anniversary of its Independence?
– As Speaker of the Parliament and as a simple citizen, I want us on August 27 to celebrate 25 years of Independence with peace and unity. Only together we can write history, only together we can take the steps towards progress, balance and stability.
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Andrian Candu is deputy chairman of the Democratic Party and Speaker of the Parliament since January 23, 2015. He was previously Minister of Economy (2014-2015) and Deputy Speaker of the Parliament (2013 and 2014).
Mariana Galben, IPN
