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Brussels, June 15 /Agerpres/ - The General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) adopted the directives for the negotiation of a new agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Moldova and, at Romania's request, negotiations will not start until Chisinau corrects its visa policy for Romanian citizens, Foreign Minister Cristian Diaconescu said on Monday, after the GAERC meeting in Luxembourg. 'We have and will further support Moldova's getting closer to the EU. Our approval of the negotiation contract proves that Bucharest's policy has not changed. It is obvious that Moldova's path to the EU crosses Bucharest and there is a set of conditions underlined through our conclusions today, which the Republic of Moldova has to meet. Visa lifting for Romanian citizens is one of them. That confirms that Romania's warnings and position have been justified. The Romanian diplomatic steps have been confirmed by the adoption of the Conclusions by the member states,' Romanian Foreign Minister Cristian Diaconescu said. The EU foreign minister on Monday in Luxembourg, reaffirmed their strong commitment to strengthening ties between the EU and the Republic of Moldova, based on common values and principles. The Council is committed to enhancing EU support for further political and economic reforms in the Republic of Moldova, aimed in particular at strengthening democracy and good governance, the rule of law, freedom of the media and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. The Council welcomes in this context the Commission's intention to launch a comprehensive package for democracy support in the Republic of Moldova. Against this background, the Council has adopted the EU's negotiating directives for a new, comprehensive EU-Republic of Moldova agreement which will go beyond the current Partnership and Cooperation Agreement. The Council expresses its willingness to start negotiations as soon as circumstances allow. 'In this context, and with a view to the start of the negotiations, the Council calls on the Republic of Moldova to ensure equal treatment to all EU citizens in its visa policy and underlines the importance of the principle of good-neighborly relations,' the document says. At the same time, the Council expresses serious concern over the human rights abuses that took place after the 5 April parliamentary elections in the Republic of Moldova. It calls for a transparent, impartial and effective investigation of the human rights violations as well as the events around 7 April, through a process that includes the opposition as well as international experts. '' The Council underlines that the use of violence for political aims is unacceptable. The Council is also concerned by the deterioration of freedom of expression and media freedom and urges the Republic of Moldova to ensure equal access of political parties to the public media, to ensure transparent allocation of media licences and to refrain from the use of administrative pressure against independent media, civil society organisations and political parties,'' says the document. The Council is closely following political developments in the Republic of Moldova and underlines the need for constructive political dialogue. It urges the Moldovan authorities to ensure that the forthcoming parliamentary elections are free and fair and calls on them to work closely with the OSCE/ODIHR and the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe to address their recommendations. The domestic situation in the Republic of Moldova triggered the cancelling of the EU-Moldova Cooperation Council meeting due on Tuesday.
[Source:
Romanian National News Agency
AGERPRES
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