E&E Hosts Historic Roundtable with Moldova’s Political Leaders
Six members of the Moldovan Parliament representing the leadership of each of that nation’s major political parties, were the featured guests for a roundtable luncheon sponsored by the Bureau for Europe & Eurasia’s Communications and Outreach Team at USAID headquarters in Washington, DC on May 16. The historic event drew an esteemed audience including current State Department officials, former U.S. and Moldovan ambassadors and top level representatives from USAID implementing partners the International Republican Institute and the National Democratic Institute.
“I believe that this is the first time that the leaders of all of Moldova’s parties have gathered in such a forum,” remarked Dr. Ceslav Ciobanu, a professor at Virginia State University and former Ambassador of Moldova to the U.S..
The two-hour discussion focused on the recent elections in Moldova and their impact on how the Parliament will work to promote democracy and provide the foundation for sustainable economic growth. Although the previous legislative session had been marked by conflict between the Communist majority and the opposition parties, Iurie Rosco, Chairman of Moldova’s Christian Democratic Peoples’ Party parliamentary faction and Deputy Speaker and Chairman of the Christian Democratic Peoples’ Party, expressed hope that the current session would be characterized by cooperation and presented a ten-point platform which all six parties have agreed upon. Rule of law reforms and establishing an independent media are among the stated goals, which collectively aim to dismantle the existing authoritarian system. Accession to the European Union and territorial integrity were cited as the most pressing issues facing the Parliament.
Brock D. Bierman, Chief of Staff for the E&E Bureau, thanked the participants for their candor and assured them that “the U.S. stands with Moldova as it continues its transition toward democracy.”
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| Members of the Moldovan Parliament and leaders of the country’s six major political parties convene at USAID headquarters. (From left: Eduard Musuc, President of Institutional National Strategy, Social Democratic Party; Iurie Rosca, Chairman of the Christian Democratic Peoples’ Party parliamentary faction, Deputy Speaker and Chairman of the Christian Democratic Peoples’ Party; Oleg Serebrian, President of the Social Liberal Party; Victor Stepanuic, Chairman of the Parliamentary Commission of Culture, Science, Education, Youth, Sport and Mass Media, Representative of the Communist Party; Seraphim Urechean, Chairman of the Our Moldova Alliance Political Party parliamentary faction and Chairman of the Our Moldova Alliance Political Party; and Dumitru Diacov, Chairman of the Democratic Party parliamentary faction and Chairman of the Democratic Party.) |
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