[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 562 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 562

 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with respect to 
    enhanced relations with the Republic of Moldova and support for 
                    Moldova's territorial integrity.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 1, 2014

Mr. Pitts (for himself, Mr. Engel, Mr. Keating, and Mr. Price of North 
Carolina) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with respect to 
    enhanced relations with the Republic of Moldova and support for 
                    Moldova's territorial integrity.

Whereas the United States has enjoyed good relations since the Republic of 
        Moldova's independence in 1991;
Whereas since the Republic of Moldova's independence, the United States has 
        provided financial assistance to support the people of Moldova's efforts 
        to build a prosperous European democracy;
Whereas the United States and the Republic of Moldova further strengthened their 
        partnership through the launching of a Strategic Dialogue on March 3, 
        2014;
Whereas the Republic of Moldova is due to sign an Association Agreement 
        containing comprehensive free trade provisions with the European Union 
        in June or July of 2014;
Whereas the United States Government supports the democratic aspirations of the 
        people of the Republic of Moldova and their expressed desire to deepen 
        their association with the European Union;
Whereas the United States supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of 
        the Republic of Moldova and on that basis participates as an observer in 
        the ``5+2'' negotiations to find a comprehensive settlement that will 
        provide a special status for the separatist region of Transnistria 
        within Moldova;
Whereas the leaders of the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova 
        requested to postpone the ``5+2'' round of talks scheduled to take place 
        in April 2014;
Whereas the Government of the Russian Federation banned the import of Moldovan 
        wine in 2013 and has threatened to ban Moldovan agricultural products, 
        curtail the supply of energy resources to Moldova, and impose stricter 
        labor migration policies on the people of Moldova;
Whereas the Government of the Russian Federation maintains a contingent of 
        Russian troops and a stockpile of Russian military equipment and 
        ammunition within the Moldovan region of Transnistria;
Whereas the Government of Russia has been actively issuing Russian passports to 
        the residents of the Transnistria region;
Whereas the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in 
        Europe, and the Government of Moldova have called upon the Government of 
        the Russian Federation to remove its troops from the territory of the 
        Republic of Moldova;
Whereas authorities in the Republic of Moldova's Transnistria region have 
        restricted access to the region by OSCE Mission to Moldova monitors, 
        preventing the Mission from providing impartial reporting on the 
        security situation in the region;
Whereas the House of Representatives and the Senate both passed by an 
        overwhelming majority, and the President signed into law, S. 2183, 
        providing for a United States international broadcasting programming 
        surge to counter misinformation from Russian-supported news outlets and 
        ensuring that Russian-speaking populations in Ukraine and Moldova have 
        access to independent news and information; and
Whereas Moldova has been a valued and reliable partner in promoting global 
        security by participating in U.N. peacekeeping missions in Liberia, Cote 
        d'Ivoire, Sudan, and Georgia: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) reaffirms that it is the policy of the United States to 
        support the sovereignty, independence, and territorial 
        integrity of the Republic of Moldova and the inviolability of 
        its borders;
            (2) supports the Strategic Dialogue as a means to 
        strengthen relations between the Republic of Moldova and the 
        United States and enhance the democratic, economic, rule of 
        law, and security reforms already being implemented by the 
        Republic of Moldova;
            (3) encourages the President and the Department of State to 
        enhance United States cooperation with the Government of 
        Moldova and civil society organizations and focus assistance on 
        justice sector reform, anti-corruption efforts, strengthening 
        democratic institutions, domestic energy development, 
        diversification of energy supplies and energy efficiency, as 
        well as promoting trade and investment opportunities;
            (4) encourages the President to expedite the implementation 
        of Public Law 113-96, especially for populations in Ukraine and 
        Moldova;
            (5) affirms the Republic of Moldova's sovereign right to 
        determine its own partnerships free of external coercion and 
        pressure, and affirms Moldova's right to associate with the 
        European Union or any regional organization as well as its 
        right to develop political, trade, social, and cultural and 
        security links with the European Union;
            (6) calls upon the Government of Russia to fulfill its 
        commitments made at the OSCE's Istanbul summit in 1999 and to 
        withdraw its military forces and munitions from within the 
        internationally recognized territory of the Republic of 
        Moldova;
            (7) calls upon the Government of Russia to refrain from 
        economic threats and pressure against Moldova and to cease any 
        and all actions that support separatist movements on the 
        territory of Moldova;
            (8) supports constructive engagement and confidence-
        building measures between the Government of Moldova and the 
        authorities in the Transnistria region in order to secure a 
        peaceful resolution to the conflict;
            (9) finds that the only lasting resolution to the 
        Transnistria issue is through a comprehensive settlement that 
        affirms Moldova's sovereignty and territorial integrity, while 
        providing a special status for the Transnistrian region within 
        Moldova;
            (10) urges officials in the Transnistrian region to allow 
        OSCE Mission to Moldova monitors unrestricted access to the 
        region;
            (11) urges all parties to refrain from unilateral actions 
        that may undermine efforts to achieve a peaceful resolution, as 
        well as the agreements already reached, and encourages leaders 
        of the Transnistrian region to resume negotiations toward a 
        political settlement; and
            (12) affirms that lasting stability and security in Europe 
        is a key priority for the United States and that these can only 
        be achieved if the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all 
        European countries is respected.
                                 <all>