... to Moldova; Kevin Tait, representative of the OSCE Secretariat in Vienna; and Leo Vass, Second Secretary of the Swedish Embassy in Russia. In the course of the meeting the sides discussed state and prospects of the Transdniestrian settlement, Russia-Moldova relations, as well as some general challenges of interaction between Russia and the European Union at the present stage.
... it and can prove that they have a Romanian ancestor, thus granting European citizenship with its benefits. In total, more than 726,100 Moldovan citizens have thus become Romanians since the end of the Soviet Union.
A facetious remark circulating in Moldova mentions that the country is going to join the European Union, with or without the agreement of Brussels, since there will soon be no Moldovans and only Romanian citizens.
Beijing’s Soft Power in the Black Sea
As in the rest of the Black Sea, the Chinese influence in Moldova has increased in recent ...
... problems, the polarization of political forces and complicated relations with all of Moldova’s foreign partners. These factors create objective preconditions for destabilization and a radical change in the country.
The Priority of the European Vector
Moldova’s relations with the European Union continue to be a key factor in its prospects for the future. Economic trends and public opinion polls do not suggest that the signing of the Association Agreement with the European Union has had any positive effect on the country’s development....
... the 10
th
anniversary of the Eastern Partnership, a political initiative the EU launched in 2009 for developing relations with six eastern countries of the former socialist bloc. The collaboration program with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine was primarily intended as a means for introducing these countries to the European experience and approaches to developing their economies, political institutions and civil society. Given current events, however, Russia has a highly ...
... (or change) its trade preferences for Transnistrian goods, which could greatly aggravate the socioeconomic situation in Transnistria. At the same time, however, the preservation of these trade preferences squarely ties the PMR economy to those of the European Union and Moldova
[2]
. Meanwhile, the United States, the European Union and the OSCE – observers and mediators in the peaceful settlement process – are turning a blind eye to the actions of Ukraine, which is violating its status of guarantor nation ...
The clash of Russian and Western geopolitical vectors has generated a direct confrontation between the new government of Moldova and heterogeneous opposition. In mid-January 2016, there was formed a parliamentary majority led by Marian Lupa’s and Vladimir Plahotniuc’s Democratic Party of Moldova (PDM), whose views differ fundamentally from the position of so ...
... post-Soviet space. Nevertheless, the events in Moldova have kept analysts glued to the country, not only in the context of Ukraine and Transnistria but also because of the country’s dramatic domestic politics.
Oligarchs Bound for Europe
Until recently, Moldova was seen as the frontrunner in the race to the European Union, among other things within the Eastern Partnership program, having demonstrated the top results in the integration contest. In fact, Chisinau was the first country to be granted a visa-free regime – a major achievement in its quest ...
... economic dependence of Transnistria on Russia will grow, but the effectiveness of the support rendered will fall, progressively failing to assuage the exacerbating difficulties. At the same time, Transnistria is constantly improving its economic ties with Moldova and the European Union.
Russian-Ukrainian relations present a key factor for the TMR survival.
There are additional complications for Moscow over the development of its approach due the need to regard Transnistria in the Ukraine context, because Russian-Ukrainian ...
... supporting Ukraine, the European Union put P. Poroshenko in essentially the same position as V. Yanukovich, plus the war and impending default, minus territorial integrity and political predictability.
1
. Pelczynska-Nalecz K. The ENP in practice – the European Union’s policy towards Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova one year after the publication of the Strategy Paper. – Warszawa, czerwiec 2005. – P.45-46.
2
. Ponomoreva E., Shishelina L. Latvia’s EU-2015 presidency: the Eastern Partnership instead of or together with Russia / Analytical ...
... reflected in the External Policy Concept of 20th November, 2012. This choice is essentially comprehensive Eurasian integration.
In foreign trade relations, Transdniestria’s key interests lie in maintaining and developing trade with the Republic of Moldova, the European Union and the countries of the Customs Union (Eurasian Economic Union (EEU)), primarily the Russian Federation.
a) Trade with the Republic of Moldova. Between the left and the right banks of the Dniester, there are still no formal agreements ...