S.Res. 500 — Introduced in Senate

III 113th CONGRESS 2d Session S. RES. 500 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 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.