“All the conflicts can be resolved”, said Martti Ahtisaari, winner of the Nobel Prize for Peace.
The communication may become the key for success in the relationships between the central authorities of the Republic of Moldova and the ATU Gagauzia. In 2014, the authorities from Comrat organized 2 referenda that were declared to be illegal by the authorities from Chisinau. Pursuant to those events, the stakeholders met at a discussions’ table.
In 2015, the Parliament turned to CMI for mediation and expertise services required for the establishment of a constructive dialogue between Chisinau and Comrat. Thus, in November 2015 the Parliamentary Working Group on Gagauzia was established, consisting of an even number of representatives of the Parliament and of the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia. The working group is a platform for a constructive dialogue, focusing on topics related to Gagauz autonomy and identification of joint solutions. The co-chair of the Parliamentary Working Group on Gagauzia, Larisa Voloh, claims that due to the expertise and involvement of international experts, this group has an efficient and permanent activity, tackling the topics of importance for both parties. The working group was established for the assurance of a continuous dialogue between the centre and the Autonomy, reflection of the special status of Gagauzia in the domestic legislation and clarification of competences between the central authorities and the Gagauz ones.
As of 2015, there took place dozens of formal and informal meetings. More than 600 laws were analyzed and circa 30 draft laws were developed, out of which 9 were adopted in Parliament. The working group adopted 60 joint decisions.
The official creation in 2015 of the working group was the one and only such kind of institutional platform confirmed at such a level throughout the entire history of relations between Chisinau and Comrat. Moreover, the establishment of this working group was also supported by external partners. First of all, the embassies of Sweden and the CMI – Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation. Frankly to say, in my opinion, the working group wouldn’t be functional without this support.
Alexandr Tarnavschi, deputy chairman of the People’s Assembly
In 2016 the Government adopted an action plan for the socio-economic development of the Gagauzian autonomy, for 2016-2019. The adoption of that plan was a direct result of the Working Group activity, reflecting the Gagauz priorities identified in the process of the dialogue between Chisinau and Comrat. Subsequently, a range of projects were implemented that had a positive impact on the quality of life for the population in the region.
Natalia Djandjgava, CMI project manager
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It is important to mention the engagement of the Secretariat of the Parliament that provides expertise on the development of a range of legislative initiatives. During the activity period of this working group more of 60 decisions have been approved for the improvement of the activity of Gagauzia and for the harmonization of the legislation of the Republic of Moldova.
Larisa Voloh, co-chair of the Parliamentary Working Group on Gagauzia
This material was developed in the framework of the project “Supporting institutionalized and sustainable dialogue on Gagauzia Autonomy”, implemented by CMI – Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation and financed by Sweden. The opinions expressed in this material pertain to the authors and do not necessarily represent the position of CMI or of Sweden.