Maidan

As long as the European Union, OSCE, the Council of Europe and other international actors will not be effectively involved in the process of democratization of the whole Republic of Moldova, whose independence, sovereignty and integrity was internationally acknowledged, any elections taking place in the Transdnistrian region of Moldova will be a farce to result in the legitimization of the Tiraspol separatist regime,

Considering the fact that the latest evolutions on the Transnistrian issue require a more active role of Romania and Ukraine in the region,

Taking into account the necessity to identify a new security and cooperation strategy in the wider Black Sea area, similar to the Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe,

Welcoming the increasing interest of the European Union in promoting stability and security in the Republic of Moldova, including the Transdnistrian region, within the European Neighborhood Policy,

We launch the present initiative, addressing to all relevant bodies to support civil society involvement in the process of democratization of the Transdnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova, and reaffirm our commitment to the following principles:

• Responsible involvement of the European Union, OSCE, the Council of Europe and NATO, at different levels, in order to solve more efficiently the issues of the frozen Transnistrian conflict by discouraging the rise of separatism, arms and drugs smuggling, money laundering, human trafficking and other threats to the security of this area;
• International support for Ukrainian and Romanian leadership to assume more responsibly their regional role along with the international community’s efforts to enforce legal measures that ensure stability, security and democratic development in the region.
• Further demilitarization of the secessionist regime, the withdrawal of the Russian troupes and munitions and replacement of the existing peace-keeping forces by an international stabilization Mission, under the EU mandate, as a precondition for democratization of the Transdnistrian region of Moldova.
• Transparent promotion and implementation of any stabilization and democratization initiatives undertaken in the Republic of Moldova, primarily in the Transdnistrian region, by specialized organizations and international players with the appropriate support for civil society organizations from the region;
• Enhanced involvement of the civil society from the Republic of Moldova and neighboring countries in all matters related to democratization of the Transdnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova and monitoring of the situation with regard to human rights and democratic values.

In order to bring our contribution to the democratization of the
Republic of Moldova, primarily of the Transdnistrian region, we propose:

1. International community to coordinate theirs efforts for launching of a regional Democratization Fund, aimed to support the initiatives for democratic development in the wider Black Sea region;
2. A more active involvement of NGOs in strengthening civil and political liberties, including: democratic citizenship, independent media, freedom of speech and association in the Republic of Moldova’s Transdnistrian region;
3. An increased cooperation between NGOs from the Republic of Moldova, Romania, Ukraine with the civic organizations struggling to survive in Transdnistrian region;
4. Establishment of a Regional Civil Society Forum, composed of nongovernmental organizations from Romania, Ukraine and Republic of Moldova and others states, meant to:
• Monitor the social-political development and the international impact on the democratization process of the Transdnistrian region based on a set of indicators: the human rights, border control, economic reforms, freedom of speech and media;
• Promote common initiatives supporting the freedom of association, freedom of speech and the independence of mass media in the Republic of Moldova, as well as in other countries in the wider Black Sea area;
• Advocate on the Moldovan and Ukrainian governments to cooperate more closely with the EU Border Assistance Mission in order to curb illegal border trade, money laundering, human trafficking and other security threats;
• Stimulate the implementation of new educational programs for civic and political information of citizens in the region regarding the respect of the rule of law, democratic values and human rights;
• Facilitate the implementation of best practice models and transfer of expertise towards Transdnistrian NGOs from Moldova;

We invite other related nongovernmental organizations to join freely this initiative, in order to develop mutual partnerships and networking in the region;
We welcome any contributions and proposals towards the development of an efficient Forum on the base of the principles stated above.

Hereby, we affirm our support and confidence in the above Appeal (the list is opened):

Center for Information, Education and Social Analysis from Moldova (CAPTES)
Romanian Academic Society (SAR)
Association for Civic and Political Culture in Moldova (ACCEP)
Civic Education Project and Academic Development Foundation, Romania (FPECDA)
European Movement from Moldova
Institute for European Studies from Moldova
House of Europe – Moldova
Young European Federalists – Moldova
Civic Activists Alliance “Maidan” – Ukraine
AMES – Ukraine