- The border points between Romania and Republic of Moldova have been closed the last night. Many Romanian and foreign journalists were not allowed to cross the border.
- The Romanian ambassador in Kishinew was declared persona non grata. The same happened with the minister counselor of the Romanian embassy. Moldova announced the introduction of the visa system for Romanian citizens. The announcement was made by president Vladimir Voronin for the Russian press agency Ria Novosti. The same Voronin in another declaration for Ria Novosti accused again Romania of involvement in the protests from Kishinew. In addition, Voronin warned that the use of force against the protesters will be took into consideration. The Romanian MoFA considered those claims are unacceptable.
- Most part of the declarations and media reports are transmitted via the Russian media, mostly the declarations of Moldovian officials.
- Children from schools and highschools in Kishinew are forbidden to leave the school compounds.
- In the central square from Kishinew around 1.000 young people are continuing the protests. The number decreased in the afternoon to 00/
- The Russian minister of Foreign Affairs, Serghei Lavrov, stated the claims for reorganization of the parliamentary elections in the Republic of Moldova are "groundless".
- Russian media: Serghei Mocanu, leader of the opposition, is under arrest.
See also:
Following the violent protests in Moldova , Eastern Europe experts at the European Council on Foreign Relations have issued the following media statements (April 7):
Andrew Wilson, senior policy fellow, says:
" Moldova 's violent 'Twitter revolution' is totally different from the peaceful protest of Ukraine 's Orange Revolution. This time the crowd are not angry at a stolen election, but at the growing corruption of the ruling Communist Party, its recent turn towards Russia and an imminent economic crisis."
Nicu Popescu, policy fellow, says:
" Moldova may be small, but the survival of its democracy matters for the whole of Europe . Javier Solana must immediately travel to Chisinau to mediate between politicians and protestors before any further blood is shed."
Read more:
Andrew Wilson has published widely on the politics of the European neighbourhood, and on previous "coloured revolutions" .
Nicu Popescu is a Moldovan, and has written extensively on the politics of his country. He holds a doctorate in International Relations from the Central European University in Budapest , Hungary , and co-wrote the Moldova chapter of Nations in Transit 2006 (Freedom House).
Wilson and Popescu are the authors of a forthcoming ECFR policy report comparing the European and Russian Neighbourhood Policies.
For press enquiries:
Andrew Wilson : E: andrew.wilson@ecfr.eu; T: +44 7920 421 066
Nicu Popescu : E: nicu.popescu@ecfr.eu; T: +44 7795 312 467
For all other press queries please send an email to press@ecfr.eu
About ECFR:
Launched in October 2007, the European Council on Foreign Relations is a pan-European think tank and advocacy group, co-chaired by Martti Ahtisaari, Joschka Fischer and Mabel van Oranje. (www.ecfr.eu)
James Clasper
Media Advisor
European Council on Foreign Relations
5th Floor, Cambridge House
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Tel: +44 (0)20 7031 1623
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E: press@ecfr.eu
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OSCE Mission to Moldova condemns post-election violence and appeals to all sides for restraint
CHISINAU, 7 April 2009 - The Head of the OSCE's Mission to Moldova, Ambassador Philip Remler, condemned today's outbreak of violence in the Moldovan capital following Sunday's parliamentary elections and urged all political sides to do their utmost to de-escalate the situation.
"Violence is not compatible with democratic values. We strongly urge all to refrain from any violent actions, which we unreservedly condemn. We call on the authorities and all political forces to exercise restraint and to urge others to show restraint as well," he said.
Sunday's parliamentary elections were observed by a joint mission of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the European Parliament.
The joint mission's statement and preliminary findings can be found here: http://www.osce.org/documents/odihr/2009/04/37142_en.pdf
The OSCE Mission to Moldova will continue to monitor the protest in line with its mandate.
ODIHR is following the post-election situation according to its normal procedures.
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