Romanian President Basescu's Visit Underlines Shift in

UNCLAS CHISINAU 000052 SENSITIVE SIPDIS C O R R E C T E D C O P Y (FORMAT CHANGES ONLY) STATE FOR EUR/UMB E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV ECON PINR RO MD SUBJECT: Romanian President Basescu's Visit Underlines Shift in Bilateral Relations ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: In a January 27-28 visit to Moldova, Romanian President Traian Basescu offered 100 Million Euros of assistance for the country's infrastructure and promised to provide support for the energy sector. Several agreements were signed, including a joint declaration of cooperation between the two Interior Ministries and an agreement on cooperation between the two Justice Ministries. However, Basescu sent a mixed message on Romania's respect for Moldova's independence when he also stressed Romania's commitment to granting Romanian citizenship to Moldovans, and said that Romania would never sign a border treaty with Moldova. While many Moldovans welcomed Basescu's visit, the opposition Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM) blasted the new Government of Moldova (GOM) for pursuing a pro-Romanian policy. END SUMMARY. Improved Moldovan-Romanian Relations -------------- ¶2. (U) The January 27-28 visit of Romanian President Traian Basescu to Moldova was a clear indication of how dramatically Moldova's new Alliance for European Integration (AIE) government has improved bilateral relations between the two countries. The Romanian President arrived with a major delegation, including ten ministers, and met with Acting President Mihai Ghimpu, Prime Minister Vlad Filat, Chisinau Mayor Dorin Chirtoaca, AIE leaders, and parliamentary factions, among others. Basescu also was awarded Moldova's prestigious Republican Order and participated in diverse cultural events, including laying flowers at the graves of famous Moldovans (including Acting President Ghimpu's brother, Gheorghe Ghimpu) in the Central Cemetery in Chisinau. Romania to Give 100 Million Euros in Aid -------------- ¶3. (U) Upon his arrival in Chisinau on January 27, Basescu thanked Moldovans for supporting him in Romania's December presidential elections. "The votes cast by the Moldovans who hold Romanian nationality were very important for the outcome of the elections," he said. Basescu also announced that Romania would offer Moldova 100 million Euros in non-repayable financial assistance from 2010 to ¶2013. These funds will be disbursed in four equal yearly installments of 25 million Euros each. According to Basescu, the assistance will be used for local community projects, such as modernizing schools and restoring local infrastructure. Moldova to Link to Romanian Electric Grid -------------- ¶4. (U) On January 27, Basescu said that one of the major Romanian projects for Moldova was the Falciu-Gotesti 110 kW power line, which could become operational by the end of 2010. He stated that Romania had built 28.3 km of the power line on its territory, and that work on the Moldovan side would be completed by the end of 2010, at which time, he said, Moldova's energy system would be connected with the Romanian electrical system and, implicitly, with the EU. Basescu also said that a project to connect the gas transportation system "Drochia-Ungheni-Iasi" would be implemented under the Moldovan-Romanian neighborhood policy. Other Deliverables -------------- ¶5. (U) Basescu's visit produced several other deliverables. Moldovan Minister of Interior Victor Catan and his Romanian counterpart, Vasile Blaga, signed a joint declaration of cooperation on combating of trafficking and organized crime. Moldovan Minister of Justice Alexandru Tanase and his Romanian counterpart, Catalin Predoiu, also agreed that Romania would help Moldova establish a system of private bailiffs. ¶6. (U) On January 28, Basescu also visited the site of the new Romanian consulate in Cahul, which he said would be opened in two to three weeks. (Note: Basescu's unfortunate slip of the tongue that he was going to visit "Kabul" (instead of "Cahul") received quite a bit of bemused press coverage. End Note.) Mixed Messages on Citizenship and Independence? -------------- -- ¶7. (SBU) In Chisinau, Basescu also announced that his government would adopt by the end of the week a regulatory act to speed up the process of providing Romanian citizenship for Moldovans. Basescu said that the new Government of Romania (GOR) agency for regaining Romanian citizenship would open five offices in Romania along the Moldovan border, where Moldovans could file their application requests for citizenship. According to the Romanian President, before 2008, only 2,400 Moldovans had received Romanian citizenship; however, after new provisions were adopted last year, 20,000 requests had been processed and 14,000 people had already received Romanian citizenship. Basescu stated that the GOR's new citizenship agency could process 100,000 to 150,000 requests per year, and pledged that the Romanian MFA would process all of the unprocessed applications submitted before the law was amended. (Note: In previous statements last year, Basescu suggested that Romania had received between 800,000 and one million passport applications. End Note.) ¶8. (U) While Basescu announced that an agreement on small cross-border traffic would take effect March 31, he vowed that Bucharest would never sign a border demarcation treaty with Moldova. He said that Romania had recognized the borders after the breakup of the USSR, and therefore, was ready to negotiate on how to "manage" the border, but not willing to formally demarcate the border line. "I will never sign a treaty to confirm what Stalin and Hitler signed", he stated. ¶9. (U) In addition, some of the several hundred Moldovans who welcomed Basescu at a ceremony laying flowers at the monument to Stephan the Great on January 27 chanted or waved placards with slogans such as, "Union!", "Basescu is with Us!", "Basescu - the President of Romania and Moldova", "We Want You to Become our President!", and "Remove the Border at the Prut!". PCRM Criticizes Romania's Policies -------------- ¶10. (U) The visit, which was covered in a positive manner by the majority of media, was sharply criticized by the PCRM. Communist press statements blasted the Romanian authorities for their failure to recognize "the Moldovan people's right to self-determination", for refusing to sign a border agreement with Moldova, and for their alleged belief that Moldova's independence was a temporary phenomenon. The PCRM also blamed Basescu for supporting the organizers of and participants in the April 2009 parliamentary election protests which resulted in violence. For example, PCRM heavyweight Mark Tkaciuk referred to Basescu as "a criminal who returns to the scene of the crime". In addition, the PCRM faction leader was conspicuously absent from a January 27 meeting of Moldovan parliamentary group leaders with Basescu. ¶11. (SBU) President Basescu's visit to Moldova demonstrated the dramatic improvement in the tone of Moldovan-Romanian relations produced by Moldova's transition from the PCRM-led government of former President Voronin to the new Alliance-led government. Both governments see Moldova's governmental transition as providing a new opportunity for rapprochement and cooperation. ¶12. (SBU) Support for improved relations with Romania is not universal in Moldova, however, as the Communists and their supporters remained critical of Romania and the Romanian President. Though many Moldovans welcome Basescu's promise to facilitate the granting of Romanian citizenship (and thus a Romanian passport which allows travel in the European Union),the Communists attacked Basescu for facilitating the emigration of Moldovan citizens and for undermining Moldovan statehood. Basescu's refusal to sign a border treaty also allows critics to question Romania's recognition of Moldova's independence. (Note: At a formal January 27 state dinner - attended by GOM officials and foreign ambassadors - Basescu emphasized that Romanians and Moldovans shared a common history, language, and blood, but did twice state that he recognized Moldova's sovereignty and independence. End Note.) CHAUDHRY