Washington urges Moldovan authorities to spur actions in developing democratic institutions

Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs at the U.S. Department of State David Kramer suggested the leadership of Moldova to spur the actions meant to strengthen democracy, increase independence of media and intensify anti-corruption efforts. The American official made this statement within the frameworks of a meeting with President Vladimir Voronin. According to a press release of the Presidency, David Kramer appreciated in positive terms the way the elections in Gagauzia were held, underlining that the democratic character and fairness of the close local elections will constitute a positive signal about the development of Moldova. For his part, Vladimir Voronin reconfirmed the intention of Moldova to continue strengthening and developing democratic institutions, emphasizing the interest of the authorities in free and transparent elections. They discussed different aspects related to the implementation of “The Millennium Challenge Account” Programme, the possibility of resuming Transnistrian talks and political settlement of the conflict. Recently, Colleen Graffy, another Deputy Assistant at the US Department of State said that the freedom of media in Moldova is imperilled, despite the fact that the Moldovan authorities assumed the responsibility to fight corruption according to the agreement signed within the “Millennium Challenge” Programme. “This task can not be fulfilled without independent and strong media”. She made these statements referring to the case of “Antena C” and “Euro TV”, as well as the decision of the broadcasting regulatory body to cancel the transmission licence of the Balti-based “FM 103.5” radio station.