Moldova
Formerly ruled by Romania, Moldova became part of the Soviet Union at the close of World War II. The bulk of Moldovan territory, between the rivers Dniester and Prut, was annexed by the USSR in 1940.
The industrialized territory to the east of the Dniester, generally known as Trans-Dniester or the Dniester region, was formally an autonomous area within Ukraine before 1940 when the Soviet Union combined it with the rest of present-day Moldova. This smaller area is mainly inhabited by Russian and Ukrainian speakers, about one-third of the Moldovan population; the other two-thirds are of Romanian descent, speak a language virtually identical to Romanian and share a common cultural heritage with Romania. As people in the formerly autonomous Dniester region became increasingly alarmed at the prospect of closer ties with Romania in the tumultuous twilight years of the Soviet Union, Trans-Dniester unilaterally declared independence from Moldova in 1990. There was fierce fighting there as it tried to assert this independence following the collapse of the USSR and the declaration of Moldovan sovereignty. Hundreds died. Igor Smirnov, 'President' of the self-styled 'Republic of Transdniestria', declared a state of emergency in the region after an incursion by Moldovan forces. The secessionists managed to secure the backing of ex-Soviet Army troops – specifically the 14th Army that had long been based in the republic – and former KGB officers. The violence ended with the introduction of Russian peacekeepers. Trans-Dniester's independence has never been recognized and the region has existed in a state of lawless and corrupt limbo ever since. It still houses a stockpile of old Soviet military equipment and a contingent of troops of the Russian 14th army. Withdrawal began under international agreements in 2001 but was halted when the Trans-Dniester authorities blocked the dispatch of weapons. Subsequent agreements to resume did not reach fruition as relations between Moscow and Chisinau cooled.
The Moldovan parliament granted autonomous status to the Turkic-language speaking Gagauz region in the southwest of the republic in late 1994. It has powers over its own political, economic and cultural affairs.
Moldova is one of the very poorest countries in Europe and has a large foreign debt and high unemployment. Its once-flourishing wine trade has been in decline and it is heavily dependent on Russia for energy supplies. The Russian gas supplier Gazprom cut the gas supply off at the beginning of 2006 when Moldova refused to pay twice the previous price. A temporary compromise arrangement was reached soon afterwards.
Moldova's communists won a clear victory in early elections in February 2001, ending a decade of largely ineffectual post-Soviet reformist government. The party leader, Vladimir Voronin, was subsequently elected president. Moldova's parliament returned Voronin for a second term as president in April 2005. He first came to power promising to forge closer ties with Russia. Relations cooled sharply in 2003 after Voronin pulled out of a proposed deal on Trans-Dniester settlement following protests by those who said it gave too much influence to Moscow. He said that from then on he would seek more substantial support from the West in resolving the conflict. He has since welcomed Ukrainian settlement proposals and accused Moscow of getting in the way of a deal. He has repeatedly called for Russian forces to withdraw from Trans-Dniester and has called for them to be replaced by internationally supervised peacekeepers. Although he accused his predecessors of having reduced Moldova to dire poverty, under his leadership, the country has remained mired in poverty.
There are currently no known threats to expatriate personnel or travelers to Moldova, but, as the poorest country in Europe, it has been beset by sporadic street protests, labor unrest and rising crime.
Travel to the breakaway Transnistria region should be avoided. If you must go there, be aware that there are numerous road checkpoints along the roads into and out of the Transnistria region. Taking photographs of checkpoints into and out of the Transnistria region or the personnel working there is prohibited. As the area is not formally recognized, assistance from your consulate or embassy would be limited.
Photography of military installations or government buildings may result in a fine. Unauthorized photography has resulted in unnecessary delays and detentions.
Photography of checkpoints into and out of the Transnistria region or the personnel working there is prohibited.
Local police can be contacted at 902 and ambulance services at 903; however, most dispatchers only speak Moldovan (Romanian) or Russian. There are frequent police checks of identity papers. Travelers should carry at least copies of their papers (passports) at all times. Low-level bribery attempts by officials or police are commonplace.
Arrange to be met at the airport or use officially marked taxis. Do not share taxis with strangers. Travelers have been robbed by individuals posing as fellow passengers and by taxi drivers. Establish a price before engaging a taxi to avoid excessive fees.
Foreigners staying for more than three days must register at a local office of the Department of Information Technologies (country and area codes: 373-2/ tel.: 22-91-23/ e-mail: dti@registru.md). Hotels will usually register their guests automatically. However, registration remains the responsibility of the traveler. Those who fail to do so may be required to appear in court and pay a fine.
There is a relatively high risk of flooding and landslides.
