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RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHNP RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSK RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHCH #0425/01 1541402
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 031402Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY CHISINAU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8020
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CHISINAU 000425 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EUR/UMB 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PBTS MD
SUBJECT: Romania-Moldova Spats Burnish Nationalist 
Credentials of Both Presidents, Harm Relations 
 
CHISINAU 00000425  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
Sensitive but Unclassified.  Please Protect 
Accordingly. 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  After disputed parliamentary 
elections in Moldova followed by violent street 
demonstrations on April 7, the presidents of 
Romania and Moldova have engaged in tit-for-tat 
accusations and counter-measures that benefit both 
domestically, but have seriously harmed bilateral 
relations.  It appears that Russia is taking 
advantage of this hostility and fanning the fires 
in order to thwart Moldova's European aspirations 
and harden positions on Transnistria.  End 
summary. 
 
Latest Round Started after April 7 Riots 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) On April 8, one day after rioters in 
Chisinau burned the Parliament building and 
damaged the Presidency, Moldovan President Voronin 
accused Romania of involvement in an attempted 
coup d'etat and expelled Romanian Ambassador 
Teodorescu.  The Cabinet imposed a visa 
requirement on Romanian citizens the same week. 
The following week, Romanian President Basescu 
rejected all accusations and requested that the 
Romanian cabinet amend the Romanian law on 
citizenship to ensure a rapid processing of 
applications for citizenship submitted by Moldovan 
nationals.  Voronin responded by refusing 
accreditation to the newly appointed ambassador 
Mihnea Constantinescu. 
 
The EU Fails to Defuse Tensions, Basescu Raises 
Ante 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
-- 
 
¶3. (SBU) On May 7, the European Parliament, in an 
attempt to solve the problem with an appearance of 
even-handedness, adopted a resolution which 
condemned accusations against one of the Union's 
member-states, but also recommended that Bucharest 
reconsider the decision to grant citizenship to 
huge numbers of Moldovans.  Eight days later, on 
May 15, Basescu  declared that he would accelerate 
the citizenship process, and hinted that he would 
bypass Chisinau authorities by working directly 
with Moldovan district officials.  More 
significantly, Basescu broke sharply with past 
practice by stating that no Romanian President 
would ever sign a Border Treaty with Moldova, 
since "it would legitimize the Ribbentrop-Molotov 
Pact." 
 
The Importance of the Border and Framework 
Treaties 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Lack of a border and a framework treaty 
between Romania and Moldova has long troubled the 
relationship between the two countries, but the 
issue was negotiated in a desultory fashion and 
then swept under the rug, until Basescu's 
categorical refusal on May 15.  Some Moldovans 
blame Romania for delays in signing the treaties. 
They believe that Romania does not want to 
recognize Moldova as an independent state with 
international borders, because recognition would 
prevent unification of the two countries.  Because 
the idea of unifying the two countries has some 
popularity in Romania, signing the treaties could 
be politically suicidal for any Romanian leader, 
some observers maintain.  Moldova, challenged by 
the unresolved separatist conflict in 
Transnistria, regards these two treaties as an 
essential contribution to any settlement of the 
Transnistrian conflict.  Fears that Moldova could 
become part of Romania feed the suspicions of 
Tiraspol hawks.  Even the theoretical possibility 
of Moldova's union with Romania has served to 
strengthen Transnistrian desires to gain 
independence from Moldova.  Moldova is also 
critical of the fact that Romania signed border 
and framework treaties with Ukraine on the eve of 
Romania's accession to NATO and does not want to 
 
CHISINAU 00000425  002 OF 002 
 
 
sign similar treaties with Moldova. 
 
And the Beat Goes On 
-------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) The conflict continued as the Government 
of Moldova (GOM) on May 19 accused Romania of not 
recognizing Moldova's statehood and of supporting 
plans to integrate Moldova into Romania.  The 
statement accused Basescu of "generating a new 
source of instability in Europe."  In the latest 
move, President Basescu has cancelled his 
scheduled participation in the June 5 summit of 
the Southeast European Cooperation Process (SEECP) 
in Chisinau. 
 
Russia Taking the Lead in Accusing Romania 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶6. (SBU) Russia was prompt to accuse Romania of 
feeding, if not masterminding, the April 7 turmoil 
in Chisinau.  Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov has 
repeatedly requested that the EU take a hard line 
on Romania's alleged involvement in organizing an 
attempted coup in Moldova.  Valery Nesterushkin, 
Moscow's chief negotiator in the 5-plus-2 process, 
and Transnistrian leaders have recently indicated 
that the ongoing crisis in Moldova was hampering 
resumption of talks on Transnistrian settlement. 
Further progress in the settlement process will be 
hindered by allegations coming from Moscow and 
Tiraspol about Moldova's possible union with 
Romania, which would leave no other solution for 
Transnistria but independence. 
 
Comment:  Domestic Advantage, Bilateral Harm 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) Comment:  The intensity of the rhetoric 
and the incessant tit-for-tat are troubling.  Both 
presidents are still at it, short-sightedly 
enhancing their images as fighters for their 
national interests.  This war of words has damaged 
bilateral relations and EU-Moldovan relations; 
aggravated the east-west divisions within Moldovan 
society; and hampered the resumption of talks on a 
Transnistrian settlement. 
 
Chaudhry