[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 500 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
113th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 500
Expressing the sense of the Senate with respect to enhanced relations
with the Republic of Moldova and support for the Republic of Moldova's
territorial integrity.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
July 10, 2014
Mrs. Shaheen (for herself, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Menendez, Mr. McCain, and Mr.
Murphy) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the
Committee on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the Senate with respect to enhanced relations
with the Republic of Moldova and support for the Republic of Moldova's
territorial integrity.
Whereas the United States has enjoyed warm relations with the Republic of
Moldova 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 efforts of the people of
the Republic of Moldova 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 signed an Association Agreement containing
comprehensive free trade provisions with the European Union on June 27,
2014, and ratified the agreement on July 2, 2014;
Whereas the Government of the Republic of Moldova made extraordinary efforts to
comply with the criteria for an Association Agreement with the European
Union, including significant legislative reforms to improve the rule of
law and curtail corruption;
Whereas new parliamentary elections are expected to be held in the Republic of
Moldova in November 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 the Republic of Moldova;
Whereas, in September 2013, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitri Rogozin said
that Moldova ``would lose Transnistria if Moldova continues moving
toward the European Union'' and that ``Moldova's train en route to
Europe would lose its wagons in Transnistria'';
Whereas in 2013, the Government of the Russian Federation banned the import of
Moldovan wine and certain agricultural products in anticipation of the
Republic of Moldova initialing the Association Agreement with the
European Union;
Whereas, in response to the Republic of Moldova signing and ratifying the
Association Agreement with the European Union, the Government of the
Russian Federation has banned additional agricultural products and
threatened to curtail the supply of energy resources to the Republic of
Moldova, expel Moldova from the Commonwealth of Independent States free
trade zone, and impose stricter labor migration policies on the people
of the Republic 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 in the Republic of Moldova;
Whereas the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe (OSCE), and the Government of the Republic 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 the access of OSCE Mission to Moldova monitors to the
Transnistria region, thereby 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 the Act
relating to ``United States International Programming to Ukraine and
Neighboring Regions'', approved April 3, 2014 (Public Law 113-96; 22
U.S.C. 6211 note), providing for a United States international broadcast
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 United Nations peacekeeping missions in
Liberia, Cote d'Ivoire, Sudan, Georgia, and Kosovo: Now, therefore, be
it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) reaffirms that it is the policy of the United States
Government 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 to enhance the democratic, economic, and
security reforms already being implemented by the Republic of
Moldova;
(3) urges the President to consider increasing security and
intelligence cooperation with the Government of Moldova;
(4) encourages the President and the Secretary of State to
enhance United States cooperation with the Government of the
Republic of Moldova and civil society organizations and to
focus assistance on rule of law, anti-corruption efforts,
energy security, and improving trade relations and investment
opportunities;
(5) supports increased educational exchanges between the
United States and the Republic of Moldova;
(6) encourages the President to expedite the implementation
of the Act relating to ``United States International
Programming to Ukraine and Neighboring Regions'', approved
April 3, 2014 (Public Law 113-96; 22 U.S.C. 6211 note),
especially because it relates to populations in Ukraine and the
Republic of Moldova;
(7) affirms the Republic of Moldova's sovereign right to
determine its own partnerships free of external coercion and
pressure, and affirms the Republic of Moldova's right to
associate with the European Union and any other regional
organization;
(8) urges the European Union to continue to work for
greater political, economic, and social integration with the
Republic of Moldova;
(9) calls on the Government of the Russian Federation to
refrain from using economic coercion against the Republic of
Moldova, cease support for separatist movements in the
territory of the Republic of Moldova, and fulfill its
commitments made at the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) 1999 summit in Istanbul to
withdraw its military forces and munitions from within the
internationally recognized territory of the Republic of
Moldova;
(10) supports constructive engagement and confidence-
building measures between the Government of the Republic of
Moldova and the authorities in the Transnistria region in order
to secure a peaceful, comprehensive resolution to the conflict
that respects the Republic of Moldova's sovereignty and
territorial integrity;
(11) urges officials in the Transnistrian region to allow
OSCE Mission to Moldova monitors unrestricted access to that
region;
(12) discourages any 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
(13) affirms that lasting stability and security in Europe
is a key priority for the United States Government which can
only be achieved if the territorial integrity and sovereignty
of all European countries is respected.
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