Parliamentary Working Group on Gagauzia resumes work following national and regional elections

CMI – Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation participated in the re-launch the Parliamentary Working Group on Gagauzia in Moldova. The group works towards enhancing institutional political dialogue on issues related to the Gagauzia autonomy.

CMI’s Project Manager Natalia Djandjgava and Manager Stephen Young attended the re-launch of the Parliamentary Working Group on Gagauzia in March. Photo: Parliament of the Republic of Moldova

The re-launch of the Parliamentary Working Group on Gagauzia took place at the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova on March 22, 2022. The group is a unique and sustainable platform for institutional political dialogue, working on issues related to the Gagauzia autonomy.

The dialogue between members of Parliament and representatives of the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia is facilitated by CMI in the framework of the project “Gagauzia Dialogue” funded by Sweden. The group was reconvened in its new composition after Parliamentary and Peoples Assembly elections, which took place in 2021, to reflect changes in the political structure of both legislative bodies.

The President of the Parliament, Igor Grosu, welcomed the resumption of the standing dialogue platform despite challenging times for Moldova due to numerous crises. In the dialogue process, the group holds both formal and informal meetings to develop solutions for common problems in the region.

“We have to address these major challenges, and this could only be done through dialogue. We encourage the members of the Parliamentary Working Group to communicate constantly and to act rapidly with the help of our development partners in order to identify the best possible solutions for the benefit of the citizens”, said Grosu.

The Governor of the Gagauzia Autonomy, Irina Vlah, confirmed that the common priority is to consolidate the unity of the society and to enhance the culture of democracy.

“Based on the best practices of parliamentarianism, it is possible to achieve significant results in the process of harmonising national and regional legislation. Every compromise reached by this platform will contribute to strengthening the democracy and unity of our society”, Vlah stressed.

During the meeting, the co-chairs of the Working Group – Vladimir Bolea, Member of Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, and Serghei Cimpoieș, Member of the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia – affirmed their willingness to engage in constructive dialogue within the parliamentary platform, and to restore full functionality of the group for dialogue between Chisinau and Comrat.

The re-launch event brought together representatives of international development partners of Moldova. Photo: Parliament of the Republic of Moldova

The event was attended by representatives of the CMI – Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation and by representatives of international development partners of the Republic of Moldova, including the Embassies of Sweden, the US and Turkey as well as high level representation from the OSCE, UNDP, the EU Delegation and the Council of Europe. The parties welcomed the resumption of the working group with new members and expressed their full support to its functions.

The working group was established in November 2015 by the Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova. Its aim is to improve the Gagauz autonomy within the constitutional norms and legislative provisions of the Republic of Moldova in relation to the special status of Gagauzian autonomy as foreseen in the 1994 Law on the Special Status of the Autonomous Territorial Unit Gagauzia. The working group comprises an equal number of representatives of the Parliament and of the People’s Assembly.

The project “Gagauzia Dialogue” brings together legislators, experts and stakeholders from Chisinau, Comrat and from all over the country to find common solutions for improved functioning of the Gagauz autonomy.  The project organises activities to enhance the dialogue through regular informal meetings, discussions, workshops and study visits to strengthen their capacity for engagement in the process of solving problems and ensuring a sustainable dialogue.