III 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 629 

Expressing the sense of the Senate with respect to enhanced relations with 

the Republic of Moldova and support for Moldova’s territorial integrity. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 17, 2018 

Mr. COONS (for himself and Mr. RISCH) 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 

Moldova’s territorial integrity. 

Whereas the United States has enjoyed stable and positive relations with the Republic of Moldova for over 25 years; 

Whereas, since Moldova’s independence in 1991, the United 

States has provided financial assistance to support the 

people of Moldova’s efforts to build a prosperous European democracy; 

Whereas the Governments of the United States and Moldova 

further strengthened their partnership through the 

launching of the inaugural Strategic Dialogue on March 

3, 2014; 


pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS
2 

•SRES 629 IS 

Whereas the United States Government seeks to help 

Moldova increase its prosperity, secure its democratic institutions, secure its internationally recognized borders, 

and integrate with Europe and the Euro-Atlantic community; 

Whereas the United States and Moldova continue to broaden 

and deepen their partnership through advancing shared 

interests in democracy, good governance, anti-corruption, 

energy independence, economic development, and security 

cooperation through the relaunching of the Strategic Dialogue on June 23, 2017; 

Whereas corruption remains a major obstacle in Moldova, 

which inhibits the country’s ability to develop businesses, 

attract foreign investment, ensure good governance, and 

pursue closer integration with the European Union; 

Whereas the Government of Moldova has been urged to fight 

corruption and improve governance since Moldova’s independence, particularly in the wake of a 2014 scandal involving the loss of over a billion dollars, and the Government of Moldova has moved forward with certain reforms 

seeking to address these issues; 

Whereas efforts to improve governance and adopt domestic 

reforms are critical to Moldova’s ability to secure loan 

packages from international organizations such as the 

International Monetary Fund and the European Union; 

Whereas the International Monetary Fund has approved a 

three-year loan package premised on the continuation of 

reforms focused on strengthening the economy, bolstering 

economic development, and promoting trade and investment; 


pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS
3 

•SRES 629 IS 

Whereas Moldova ratified an Association Agreement containing comprehensive free trade provisions with the European Union in 2014, and the Agreement became fully 

effective in July 2016; 

Whereas the people and Government of the United States 

supports the democratic aspirations of the people of 

Moldova and their expressed desire to deepen their association with the European Union; 

Whereas in a judgment in 2004, the European Court of 

Human Rights found that Transnistria was formed with 

the support of the Government of the Russian Federation 

and considered it ‘‘under the effective authority or at 

least decisive influence of Russia’’; 

Whereas the United States supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity 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 in 

Moldova; 

Whereas the Government of the Russian Federation banned 

the import of Moldovan wine in 2013, and Moldovan 

meats and produce in 2014, and has threatened to ban 

Moldovan agricultural products, curtail the supply of energy resources to Moldova, and impose stricter labor migration policies on the people 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 

Transnistria region; 


pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS
4 

•SRES 629 IS 

Whereas, by September 2016, the Government of the Russian 

Federation had issued Russian passports to residents of 

the Transnistria region; 

Whereas the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security 

and Cooperation in Europe, and the Government of 

Moldova have called upon the Government of the Russian 

Federation to remove its troops from Moldovan territory; 

Whereas, in May 2017, the Constitutional Court of Moldova 

ruled that Moldova’s constitutional neutrality means that 

the presence of foreign troops in Moldova is unconstitutional; 

Whereas, in July 2017, the Moldovan Parliament adopted a 

declaration calling on the Government of the Russian 

Federation to withdraw its troops from Moldova; 

Whereas the Senate and the House of Representatives both 

passed by an overwhelming majority, and the President 

signed into law Public Law 113–96, providing for a 

United States international broadcasting programming 

surge to counter disinformation from Russian supported 

news outlets and ensure that Russian-speaking populations in Ukraine and Moldova have access to independent news and information; 

Whereas Moldova has been a valued and reliable partner in 

promoting global security by participating in United Nations peacekeeping missions in the Central African Republic, Kosovo, and South Sudan; 

Whereas Moldova cooperates with the North Atlantic Treaty 

Organization through an Individual Partnership Action 

Plan to improve expertise, interoperability, peacekeeping 

capabilities, military education and training, and public 

sector reform; 


pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS
5 

•SRES 629 IS 

Whereas, on June 22, 2018, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution calling on Russia to withdraw its troops from Transnistria; 

Whereas, in August 2018, the Russian Federation conducted 

military exercises on the western bank of the Dniester 

River in violation of the Agreement on the Principles for 

a Peaceful Settlement of the Armed Conflict in the 

Dniester Region of the Republic of Moldova, which Russia signed in 1992; 

Whereas August 27 is Moldovan Independence Day, which 

commemorates the adoption of Moldova’s Declaration of 

Independence from the Soviet Union on August 27, 1991; 

and 

Whereas Moldova will hold parliamentary elections in early 

2019: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) reaffirms it is the policy of the United 

3 States to support the sovereignty, independence, and 

4 territorial integrity of Moldova, and that Moldova 

5 has a sovereign right to determine its own partner6 ships, free of external coercion and pressure, includ7 ing Moldova’s right to associate with the European 

8 Union or any regional organization; 

9 (2) supports the Strategic Dialogue as a means 

10 to strengthen relations between Moldova and the 

11 United States and enhance the democratic, eco12 nomic, and security reforms already being under13 taken by Moldova; 


pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS
6 

•SRES 629 IS 

1 (3) encourages the Secretary of State and the 

2 Administrator of the United States Agency for 

3 International Development to focus United States 

4 assistance on supporting reforms that strengthen the 

5 justice sector, promote an open, transparent, and 

6 democratic government, foster independent media, 

7 increase energy security, and promote inclusive eco8 nomic growth in both rural and urban areas; 

9 (4) encourages the Government of Moldova to 

10 continue implementing crucial reforms to increase 

11 the capacity of and trust in democratic institutions, 

12 strengthen the justice sector through anti-corruption 

13 efforts, and maintain open space for civil society to 

14 operate; 

15 (5) urges the Government of Moldova to enlist 

16 civil society in anti-corruption efforts, in accordance 

17 with Article 13 of the United Nations Convention 

18 against Corruption, to which Moldova is a signatory; 

19 (6) reaffirms the importance of and support for 

20 free, fair, and transparent elections in Moldova; 

21 (7) supports efforts to counter disinformation 

22 campaigns in Eastern Europe in ways that are con23 sistent with democratic principles; 

24 (8) calls upon the Government of the Russian 

25 Federation to fulfill its commitments made at the 


pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS
7 

•SRES 629 IS 

1 Istanbul summit of the Organization for Security 

2 and Cooperation in Europe in 1999, and to with3 draw its military forces and munitions from within 

4 the internationally recognized territory of Moldova; 

5 (9) calls upon the Government of the Russian 

6 Federation to refrain from issuing economic threats 

7 or exerting pressure against Moldova and to cease 

8 any and all actions that support separatist move9 ments within the territory of Moldova; and 

10 (10) urges all parties to refrain from unilateral 

11 actions that may undermine efforts to achieve a 

12 peaceful resolution, and supports efforts to resolve 

13 the Transnistria issue through a comprehensive set14 tlement that secures Moldova’s sovereignty and ter15 ritorial integrity. 

Æ 


pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS