Ambassador Presses Senior Presidential

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E.O. 12958: Declassify 12/14/18
TAGS: PREL PGOV PBTS PINR MD
SUBJECT: Ambassador Presses Senior Presidential
Advisor on NDI Harassment

Classified by Ambassador Asif J. Chaudhry under
1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary: In a December 8 meeting,
Ambassador Chaudhry pressed senior presidential
advisor Sergiu Stati to end GOM harassment and
renew the work and residence permit of National
Democratic Institute (NDI) Country Director Alex
Grigorievs. Stati said the issue would be solved
in a few days. He also described the generally
good bilateral relations with Ukraine, while
noting that Ukrainian intra-governmental disputes
and Russian interference prevented positive steps
on Transnistria and the Novodnestrovsk Dam
dispute. End summary.

GOM Failure to Renew NDI Director's Permit
--------------


2. (C) The Ambassador told Stati how often he had
expressed to EU ambassadors his support for
Moldova's European integration. The best way for
Moldova to prove its readiness, the Ambassador
declared, was for Moldova to behave democratically
in preparations for and execution of its 2009
parliamentary elections. The Ambassador expressed
concerns about GOM restrictions on the mass media.
He also noted that Moldova, and the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and European Integration (MFAEI),
had come under criticism, in Washington and in EU
capitals, for the MFAEI's failure to renew
Grigorievs's work/residence permit
("legitimatie"),which expired in September.
(Grigorievs was present in Moldova on a 90-day
tourist visa from September 5, and left the
country on December 5. He returned to Chisinau on
a flight from Riga on December 13, without
incident.)


3. (C) The Ambassador described a series of broken
promises and implausible excuses, including
several received from the MFAEI, that
authorization was approved but the machine was
broken, followed by a statement that the machine
was fixed but authorization was delayed. The
Ambassador further noted that he had raised the
issue with the Foreign Minister and the Prime
Minister, and asked whether it was logical that
such a minor, technical issue should have to be
raised at such a high level. Stati replied that
it was a technical matter, and threw up his hands
in embarrassed agreement that this sort of issue
should not be wasting the time of officials at his
and the Ambassador's level. Stati said that he
had talked to Foreign Minister Stratan last week,
when he first became aware of the issue, and noted
that "we see NDI activities as beneficial."
However, despite the Ambassador's warning that he
had a forceful letter prepared for President
Voronin in case the legitimatie was not renewed,
the best commitment that Stati could offer was
that the issue would be solved in a few days.

Stati's Views on Issues Hindering Ukraine
--------------


4. (C) On Ukraine, where he had served until
October as Moldova's Ambassador, Stati noted that
Moldova and Ukraine had proved that it was
possible for two countries in the neighborhood to
have good relations. He cited as a success the
recent decision to extend the mandate of the
European Union Border Assistance Mission (EUBAM).
However, he noted, current tensions between the
Ukrainian President and Prime Minister have
prevented action in other areas. Stati believed
that Ukraine wanted to help solve the Transnistria
dispute and the dispute over the Novodnestrovsk
hydroelectric plant, but that the government was
so divided over personalities that issues could be
resolved. (Note: The power plant, started in the
1980s, is situated on both banks of the Dniester.
Moldova rejects Ukraine's claim that it owns the
portion on Moldova's side of the river. Ukraine
has asked Moldova to cede six hectares of its
territory, an act that Stati described as
constitutionally impossible. End note.)


5. (C) On Ukraine's role in Transnistria talks,
Stati said that, in addition to divisions in Kyiv,

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Russian anger over Ukraine's overtures to NATO had
a restraining effect on Ukraine's capacity to play
an active role in five-plus-two talks. Stati also
noted that Moldova was considering its response to
Transnistrian "President" Smirnov's offer of a
meeting with President Voronin in Tiraspol on
December 11, but wary of Smirnov's ability to turn
such meetings into a "show" before a media
audience restricted to reporters from Russia and
Transnistria only. (Note: the GOM subsequently
rejected Smirnov's request for a meeting. End
note.)

Comment
--------------


6. (C) Comment: Stati was far more comfortable
discussing the divisions in the Government of
Ukraine than he was listening to the Ambassador's
forceful advocacy of Moldova's need to conform to
its European aspirations, and not embarrass itself
further with harassment of NDI and its country
director. We hope that the issue will be solved
soon. (Grigorievs's return on Saturday is only a
temporary solution.) After the GOM's discussions
this past summer about expelling NDI and IRI from
the country, we want to make sure that it does not
use this expired document as an excuse to expel
Grigorievs, and perhaps eject NDI from the
country. We are prepared to take the issue to the
President if Grigorievs's legitimatie is not
issued, as Stati promised.

Chaudhry