[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 154 (Monday, September 17, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S6192]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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SENATE RESOLUTION 629--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE WITH RESPECT 
  TO ENHANCED RELATIONS WITH THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA AND SUPPORT FOR 
                    MOLDOVA'S TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY

  Mr. COONS (for himself and Mr. Risch) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 629

       Whereas the United States has enjoyed stable and positive 
     relations with the Republic of Moldova for over 25 years;
       Whereas, since Moldova's independence in 1991, the United 
     States has provided financial assistance to support the 
     people of Moldova's efforts to build a prosperous European 
     democracy;
       Whereas the Governments of the United States and Moldova 
     further strengthened their partnership through the launching 
     of the inaugural Strategic Dialogue on March 3, 2014;
       Whereas the United States Government seeks to help Moldova 
     increase its prosperity, secure its democratic institutions, 
     secure its internationally recognized borders, and integrate 
     with Europe and the Euro-Atlantic community;
       Whereas the United States and Moldova continue to broaden 
     and deepen their partnership through advancing shared 
     interests in democracy, good governance, anti-corruption, 
     energy independence, economic development, and security 
     cooperation through the relaunching of the Strategic Dialogue 
     on June 23, 2017;
       Whereas corruption remains a major obstacle in Moldova, 
     which inhibits the country's ability to develop businesses, 
     attract foreign investment, ensure good governance, and 
     pursue closer integration with the European Union;
       Whereas the Government of Moldova has been urged to fight 
     corruption and improve governance since Moldova's 
     independence, particularly in the wake of a 2014 scandal 
     involving the loss of over a billion dollars, and the 
     Government of Moldova has moved forward with certain reforms 
     seeking to address these issues;
       Whereas efforts to improve governance and adopt domestic 
     reforms are critical to Moldova's ability to secure loan 
     packages from international organizations such as the 
     International Monetary Fund and the European Union;
       Whereas the International Monetary Fund has approved a 
     three-year loan package premised on the continuation of 
     reforms focused on strengthening the economy, bolstering 
     economic development, and promoting trade and investment;
       Whereas Moldova ratified an Association Agreement 
     containing comprehensive free trade provisions with the 
     European Union in 2014, and the Agreement became fully 
     effective in July 2016;
       Whereas the people and Government of the United States 
     supports the democratic aspirations of the people of Moldova 
     and their expressed desire to deepen their association with 
     the European Union;
       Whereas in a judgment in 2004, the European Court of Human 
     Rights found that Transnistria was formed with the support of 
     the Government of the Russian Federation and considered it 
     ``under the effective authority or at least decisive 
     influence of Russia'';
       Whereas the United States supports the sovereignty and 
     territorial integrity 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 in Moldova;
       Whereas the Government of the Russian Federation banned the 
     import of Moldovan wine in 2013, and Moldovan meats and 
     produce in 2014, 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 Transnistria 
     region;
       Whereas, by September 2016, the Government of the Russian 
     Federation had issued Russian passports to 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 Moldovan territory;
       Whereas, in May 2017, the Constitutional Court of Moldova 
     ruled that Moldova's constitutional neutrality means that the 
     presence of foreign troops in Moldova is unconstitutional;
       Whereas, in July 2017, the Moldovan Parliament adopted a 
     declaration calling on the Government of the Russian 
     Federation to withdraw its troops from Moldova;
       Whereas the Senate and the House of Representatives both 
     passed by an overwhelming majority, and the President signed 
     into law Public Law 113-96, providing for a United States 
     international broadcasting programming surge to counter 
     disinformation from Russian supported news outlets and ensure 
     that Russian-speaking populations in Ukraine and Moldova have 
     access to independent news and information;
       Whereas Moldova has been a valued and reliable partner in 
     promoting global security by participating in United Nations 
     peacekeeping missions in the Central African Republic, 
     Kosovo, and South Sudan;
       Whereas Moldova cooperates with the North Atlantic Treaty 
     Organization through an Individual Partnership Action Plan to 
     improve expertise, interoperability, peacekeeping 
     capabilities, military education and training, and public 
     sector reform;
       Whereas, on June 22, 2018, the United Nations General 
     Assembly adopted a resolution calling on Russia to withdraw 
     its troops from Transnistria;
       Whereas, in August 2018, the Russian Federation conducted 
     military exercises on the western bank of the Dniester River 
     in violation of the Agreement on the Principles for a 
     Peaceful Settlement of the Armed Conflict in the Dniester 
     Region of the Republic of Moldova, which Russia signed in 
     1992;
       Whereas August 27 is Moldovan Independence Day, which 
     commemorates the adoption of Moldova's Declaration of 
     Independence from the Soviet Union on August 27, 1991; and
       Whereas Moldova will hold parliamentary elections in early 
     2019: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate --
       (1) reaffirms it is the policy of the United States to 
     support the sovereignty, independence, and territorial 
     integrity of Moldova, and that Moldova has a sovereign right 
     to determine its own partnerships, free of external coercion 
     and pressure, including Moldova's right to associate with the 
     European Union or any regional organization;
       (2) supports the Strategic Dialogue as a means to 
     strengthen relations between Moldova and the United States 
     and enhance the democratic, economic, and security reforms 
     already being undertaken by Moldova;
       (3) encourages the Secretary of State and the Administrator 
     of the United States Agency for International Development to 
     focus United States assistance on supporting reforms that 
     strengthen the justice sector, promote an open, transparent, 
     and democratic government, foster independent media, increase 
     energy security, and promote inclusive economic growth in 
     both rural and urban areas;
       (4) encourages the Government of Moldova to continue 
     implementing crucial reforms to increase the capacity of and 
     trust in democratic institutions, strengthen the justice 
     sector through anti-corruption efforts, and maintain open 
     space for civil society to operate;
       (5) urges the Government of Moldova to enlist civil society 
     in anti-corruption efforts, in accordance with Article 13 of 
     the United Nations Convention against Corruption, to which 
     Moldova is a signatory;
       (6) reaffirms the importance of and support for free, fair, 
     and transparent elections in Moldova;
       (7) supports efforts to counter disinformation campaigns in 
     Eastern Europe in ways that are consistent with democratic 
     principles;
       (8) calls upon the Government of the Russian Federation to 
     fulfill its commitments made at the Istanbul summit of the 
     Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in 1999, 
     and to withdraw its military forces and munitions from within 
     the internationally recognized territory of Moldova;
       (9) calls upon the Government of the Russian Federation to 
     refrain from issuing economic threats or exerting pressure 
     against Moldova and to cease any and all actions that support 
     separatist movements within the territory of Moldova; and
       (10) urges all parties to refrain from unilateral actions 
     that may undermine efforts to achieve a peaceful resolution, 
     and supports efforts to resolve the Transnistria issue 
     through a comprehensive settlement that secures Moldova's 
     sovereignty and territorial integrity.

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