Romanian leaders hailed as a historic moment a decision last night by the Republic of Moldova’s Constitutional Court which set Romanian as the official language of the former Soviet republic, 22 years after it gained independence, putting an end to decades of heavily politicized debates on this issue.
The court’s verdict, which is irrevocable, came after a complaint filed by the liberal lawmaker Ana Gutu. She asked the court to clarify the issue of the official language since the Constitution mentioned Moldovan as the state language but the 1991 declaration of independence stipulates Romanian instead.
The court decided that the 1991 declaration of independence represents the juridical and political base of the Constitution, therefore, in case of several discrepancies between the two fundamental documents, the text of the declaration of independence prevails. Basically, the decision says Moldovan, which the pro-Russian groups in Moldova preferred, is in the end Romanian.
- Moreover, the court’s verdict underlines Transnistria is part of Moldova, denounces the Ribbentrop-Molotov Treaty of 1939 following which Moldova was torn from Romania and ceded to the Soviet Union and asks the Russia government to withdraw its troops from Moldovan territory, reference to the troops stationed in Transnistria, the breakaway republic lying on the left bank of river Nistru.
- Russia reacted furiously to last night’s decision. Aleksei Pushkov, head of the foreign affairs committee of the Rusian lower house, the State Duma, warned the verdict of the Moldovan Constitutional Court means one step closer to the separation from Transnistria.
The verdict is even more important since it comes a week after the Republic of Moldova initialed the Association Agreement with the EU at the Eastern Partnership in Vilnius, paving the former Soviet republic’s way to Brussels. The agreement has yet to be signed and the government in Chisinau hopes to do that by next fall. Still, until then, Moldova expects new provocations from Russia to prevent it from signing it, Moldovan President Nicolae Timofti told US secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday night.
Russia has already banned wine imports from Moldova to force it to give up its European aspirations. In return, EU announced it would open its market to Moldovan wines.
Romanian officials embraced the decision of the Constitutional Court. “Thank you very much. It is one of the greatest joys I have had in years. The implications of the decision are extremely profound. It ends attempts to mystify some cultural and historic truths in the Republic of Moldova”, Romanian President Traian Basescu said.
“Romania and Moldova will continue, using the same language, Romanian, their joint course which will be able to unify us inside the European Union” Romanian PM Victor Ponta also reacted.
balkaneu.com
6/12/13
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Štefan Füle (European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy): Right to Education in Transnistria....
ReplyDeleteMr. President, Honourable Members of the European Parliament,
The Republic of Moldova is facing a very difficult political situation this year, where deep-rooted domestic factors of instability are compounded by systematic undermining of the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity from outside. Attempts to escalate tensions in Transnistria belong to the latter category. We deeply deplore them and will continue to help Moldova withstand pressures.
In a ruling published in October 2012, the European Court of Human Rights found that harassment of the Romanian-language schools in Transnistria was in violation of the right to education of children living in the Transnistrian region and whose Romanian is the mother tongue. The European Union stands firm in the fight for fundamental rights: we strongly condemn any action by the Transnistrian de facto authorities that infringe on the right to education in the territory they control.
But the European Union also supports, and will continue to support by all means, Moldova's sovereignty and territorial integrity. An escalation of tensions between Chisinau and Tiraspol poses a formidable threat. We will therefore put all our weight behind efforts to resolve the schools issue by way of negotiation. The OSCE, which coordinates the '5+2' talks, issued in November 2012 a comprehensive set of recommendations to address this issue, which are highly regarded by the international community.
We feel strongly that the way forward lies in nudging the two sides into renewing dialogue on education issues, along the lines of the OSCE recommendations, with a view to upholding the right to education of all children. Of course, the use of ultimatums at the negotiating table is not acceptable, and it will be first necessary to lift current pressure on the Romanian-language schools. We will address the schools issue along these lines during the next round of 5+2 negotiations, scheduled for the end of this month.
Honourable Members of the European Parliament,
While paying so much attention to the schools issue, it is crucially important not to gloss over the many other factors of tension in Transnistria. With a new allocation of €28 million of technical and financial assistance agreed last year, we will continue implementing our programme of confidence-building projects, which allow the establishment of lasting cooperation at the civil society and local levels across the Nistru River.
Moreover, we will continue working for the Transnistrian de facto authorities to consider in earnest the substantial benefits the region can gain, if it participates in the future Association Agreement with Moldova. This offer is about social progress, improvement in human rights and economic modernisation. Our aim is opening up many new opportunities for the people living in Transnistria, who also are among our closest neighbours.
Thank you for your attention.
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-14-111_en.htm
6/2/14