Government continues to finance the former state newspapers “Moldova Suverana” and “Nezavisimaia Moldova”

The Government decided on Wednesday, June 13 to allot about MDL 84 thousand from the Reserve Fund in order to subscribe the public organisations of the Moldovan Diaspora to the periodicals “Moldova Suverana” and “Nezavisimaia Moldova”, former Governmental newspapers. The authors of the draft decision say that providing periodicals “is necessary for extending and developing the relations of the state with the Moldovan Diaspora from abroad, in order to promote the culture and image of Moldova worldwide”. Also, it is mentioned that “such a project was also promoted because many Moldovan organisations from abroad and its members do not have access to Internet, and the subscription is an important method to satisfy the national-cultural necessities of the representatives of the Moldovan Diaspora and to obtain true information about the country”. At the last sitting in 2006, the Government decided to allot MDL 376.8 thousand from the Reserve Fund for “Moldova Suverana” and MDL 81.3 thousand for “Nezavisimaia Moldova” as a “unique financial support” so that the newspapers could pay the debts towards “Universul” Printing House. The independent experts considered back then that by means of this decision the Government has degraded the idea related to the denationalisation of the press. In May-June 2005, the Government gave up to the statute of founder of the newspapers “Moldova Suverana” and “Nezavisimaia Moldova”, the decision being, according to PM Vasile Tarlev, “a result of the political consensus” after April 4, 2005. However, several independent reports found that those two national publications continue to inform about the activity of the state bodies in a manner which is favourable to the government. More, the newspapers attack the political and public persons which are inconvenient to the government.