First meeting of working group between Moldovan parliament, regional assembly of Gagauzia to be held in next December

Chisinau, 25 November /MOLDPRES/ - The first meeting of the working group between the Moldovan parliament and the regional assembly (local parliament) of the Autonomous Territorial Unit (UTA) of Gagauzia, southern Moldova, will take place in next December. 

Parliament Speaker Andrian Candu and a group of experts of the Crisis Management Initiative (CMI) have discussed the event's agenda at a meeting. The main subjects due to be tackled will be the ones in the social, economic and legislative sectors.

Crisis Management Initiative will back the activity of the working group for ensuring, within constitutional norms, the functionality of the Gagauz autonomy and Moldova's legislative provisions in relation to the special status of UTA Gagauzia, including at experts' level.   

The speaker said the working group would ensure the mechanism of cooperation between the parliament of Moldova of the regional assembly of Gagauzia. The working group was set up under a parliament decision, passed last week, whose author is Parliament Speaker Andrian Candu. The speaker said the parliamentary factions were to appoint the MPs, due to be members of the working group, in the near future. 

"The process of legislation's adjusting will not take place in a week, yet the beginning is good. The presence of Bashkan (governor) Irina Vlah in Brussels, the regional assembly's president, Dmitri Constantinov, at the Moldovan parliament's principal rostrum, adoption of the law on exemption of imported goods from customs duties to construct a kindergarten in the Cismichioi village, UTA Gagauzia, represent concrete deeds proving Chisinau's interest in settling regional problems, including in UTA Gagauzia," Andrian Candu said.

At the same time, the speaker said that, for the beginning, it is important to implement infrastructure, as well as economic development projects in the region. Candu said that, at discussions held in Brussels, he had asked EU Commissioner Corina Cretu for support to access European funds, in order to develop regional projects, including in UTA Gagauzia.

The experts voiced hope that the created working group would become an efficient platform of dialogue between authorities. Earlier this week, the first informal meeting of the working group took place, with participation of lawmakers from the Moldovan parliament and the regional assembly of Gagauzia, with facilitation of CMI experts.

CMI is a non-profit organisation, founded by the Nobel Peace Prize winner, ex-president of Finland Martti Ahtisaari in 2000. The organisation's work is focused on the prevention, settlement of conflicts and helps carry out a lasting peace within regional programmes in the countries of Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa.  

In Moldova, CMI is involved in backing the parliament within the Supporting the Efficient Exercise of Gagauzia’s Autonomous Powers within Moldova’s Constitutional Framework project, financed by the Swedish Foreign Ministry.  

(Editor L. Alcaza)