Olga Cebotari is a distinguished political figure in Moldova, currently a diplomat, served with distinction as the Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration of the Republic of Moldova, leaving an indelible mark on the nation’s political landscape. Cebotari emerged as a key player in shaping Moldova’s political and socio-economic trajectory through her contributions, and many notable achievements. This interview aims to shed light on her remarkable contributions during her time as Deputy Prime Minister, showcasing her dedication to public services and leadership. Additionally, this conversation is an endeavour to explore the influence of the current geopolitical scenario on Moldova, while embracing multiculturism with diversity.
Rajni Vohra: During your time in government, what policies or initiatives were you most proud of, and how did they impact the country and its citizens?
Olga Cebotari: During my mandate as Deputy Prime Minister for reintegration, I was responsible for the Transnistrian issue, which is a very complex one. During my mandate, I ensured continuity in the promotion of the country’s reintegration policies, the implementation of support measures for the residents on both banks of the Dniester, the coordination of relevant national institutions and had a productive dialogue with external partners on various aspects related to the Transnistrian issue. As the main negotiator from the side of Chisinau, I kept all existing negotiation formats active and prolific. I was in permanent contact with the central and local public authorities and made several visits to the localities in the perimeter of the Security Zone, documenting in detail the existing problems on the Transnistrian dimension and facilitating the identification of viable solutions to them.
In the first month of the mandate, I managed to mark the first major result, thanks to the intense dialogue with the actors of the “5+2” format, thus at the 26th meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council that took place on 3-4 December 2020, a new Declaration was approved on the negotiations in the Transnistrian settlement process in the “5+2” format, which reaffirmed the firm position of the OSCE participating states to identify a comprehensive, peaceful and sustainable solution to the Transnistrian conflict, based on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova, in its internationally recognized borders and with the granting of a special legal status to the localities in the eastern districts of the country.
Together with my team, I managed to relaunch the activity of the Working Groups in the field of health protection, which, despite the pandemic, had not convened for almost a year. The relaunch of the activity of this Group allowed for a positive evolution and collaboration in the process of implementing joint measures on both banks of the Dniester to protect public health against the risks generated by COVID-19 and to immunize the population, manifested by the redirection of donations received in the address The Republic of Moldova has multiple batches of medical items and high-performance equipment in hospitals in the region, and from the humanitarian aid provided to the Republic of Moldova and from the purchases made from budgetary resources, more than 180 thousand doses of vaccine against COVID-19 have been redistributed in the Transnistrian region. Also, during that period, it was possible to ensure the free movement of people, despite the complicated situation in the health field.
We also ensured the mobilization of the efforts of the national authorities responsible for the implementation of the National Action Plan for the years 2018-2021 regarding the implementation of Resolution 1325 of the UN Security Council on women, peace and security, and also on my initiative, after a four year break, I relaunched the activity of the Governmental Commission for Equality between Women and Men in order to launch new impulses in the promotion of gender policies for the next period.
I note with regret that the efforts to maintain a constant dialogue with the authorities of the Transnistrian region to improve the relations between the two banks did not have a prodigious continuity. The discussions held within the traditional “5+2” format reached a deadlock due to an objective cause – the war in Ukraine. Chisinau believes that this format will not be able to be “reanimated” even after the end of the conflict. During 2023, there were only two meetings of political representatives, held either in Tiraspol or in Bender. The refusal of Tiraspol to participate in the meetings in Chisinau seems to be associated with the amendments brought by the Moldovan authorities to the Criminal Code, also known as the “law of separatism”. The rare meetings of this kind reflect the general dynamics of the negotiation process which are not at all gratifying.
Rajni Vohra: As a prominent figure in Moldovan politics, how do you see the role of women in leadership positions, and what steps do you think should be taken to encourage greater gender equality in political and public spheres?
Olga Cebotari: Women’s involvement in politics and social life is becoming more and more demanded. In the last decades, the role of women in politics is steadily growing. It is recognized that women are more adaptable and handle the crisis much better. However, women continue to be underrepresented in decision-making positions. At the beginning of 2023, in the Republic of Moldova, the participation of women in decision-making in the Parliament reveals a representation of 38.6%, compared to 31.0% at the European level and 26.5% at the global level. Recently, great successes have been registered in the Republic of Moldova, as a number of legislative initiatives in the field of gender equality have been approved. The number of women holding managerial positions increased. The number of women who became deputies, members of the government or high-ranking persons doubled. Although in previous years the Republic of Moldova advanced in the field of ensuring gender equality in socio-economic and political life, in 2023 a slight regression is registered. Moldova dropped three positions compared to last year in the World Economic Forum’s Gender Inequality Report, from 16th to 19th out of 146 countries. Despite some gaps that exist on the side of gender equality in the upper echelons of power, I believe that the Republic of Moldova is well positioned in this regard.
Even though I fully support and encourage the active participation of women in political and social life, I emphasize that women must occupy high, leadership positions, responsible positions exclusively based on meritocracy and in no way because it is now in vogue to promote the principles of gender equality. Empowering women in politics is crucial as it means a more representative democracy. We, as society, and the government should encourage and support women to run for office through training programs and tutorship opportunities. Ladies with political ambitions should be offered flexible working arrangements and child-care facilities to balance career and family duties. Another way to stimulate the empowering of women is restricting access to public funding to those parties that include a certain proportion of women on party lists.
Rajni Vohra: How do you envision the future of Moldova in terms of its integration into regional and global networks? What opportunities and challenges do you foresee in this regard?
Olga Cebotari: Encouraged by the geopolitical situation established in the last two years, in the near future Moldova will try on this wave and together with Ukraine to join the European Union. The opening of the accession negotiations of the Republic of Moldova to the European Union is indeed a historic moment, and should imply for Moldovan citizens a state of law, more economic and commercial opportunities. On the other hand, we must rationally analyse what will be the effect of this integration on the sovereignty and neutrality of the state. It is important to underline that the opening of accession negotiations is a political decision and less based on meritocracy, and we are witnesses of several failed reforms, especially in the field of justice. Despite the fact that I encourage the political elites of the Republic of Moldova to set a deadline to achieve its desired European integration, the government’s statements such as that accession can be achieved in 2030 seem rushed and unfounded.
Looking into the statistics, we see that in 2022, 50.9% of those interviewed were ready to vote in a referendum for joining the EU. Before 2022, the European integration rating varied between 55% and 60%. Experts believe that the indicators are influenced by the unsatisfactory results of the reforms carried out by the ruling party, which actively promotes the European agenda. Trust in the current government is undermined, that is why European integration as a vector may continue to suffer, including because of such initiatives as the simultaneous organization of elections and the referendum on joining the EU. while the simultaneous holding of elections and referendum may be appropriate from a practical point of view, confusion between the matters of the elections and those of the referendum should be avoided.
Let’s not forget about the Transnistrian region and the over 300,000 citizens of the Republic of Moldova who live on the left bank and the practical way of integrating this territory with the right bank, because European integration without the Transnistrian region is irresponsible and dangerous as a precedent. Issues related to European integration have not yet been addressed in any negotiation format, but Euroscepticism is well known among the Transnistrian people.
At the same time, I consider it important to reach a national consensus on the idea of European integration and to take into account all ethnicities and all the diversity of the Republic of Moldova, because the Republic of Moldova has approximately a quarter of the population that identifies itself as part of a minority ethnic group.
Rajni Vohra: Moldova has a diverse cultural and linguistic landscape. How do you think the government can foster unity and inclusivity among different communities within the country?
Olga Cebotari: Cultural diversity stands for solidarity strengthening and the promotion of the values of tolerance and peaceful coexistence through collaboration. By bringing the multicultural community together, our people can build mutual understanding and respect. They can learn from each other’s stories, traditions, and values, but also embrace the similarities and differences that make us unique and valuable. Embracing multiculturalism and encouraging social inclusion is not a threat to Moldovan identity or success, but an opportunity to enrich our society.
Unfortunately, last year, we witnessed politicians, members of the Parliament speaking Russian language, being constrained in the television studios and not being allowed to join debated by expressing themselves in Russian. More recently, at the end of last year, a draft law was voted on the publication and entry into force of official acts, according to which all documents of the authorities will be published in the Official Monitor exclusively in Romanian. In the territories where persons belonging to a national minority constitute a considerable part of the population, the documents of the local public administration authorities starting from the current year are published in Romanian and, as the case may be, with a translation into the language of the respective minority. In this sense, in the case of Gagauzia, documents will no longer be issued in Russian, but only in Romanian and Gagauz. Moreover, the latest trends are really sad – insufficient resources are allocated for ethnic minorities that live in Moldova to learn their mother tongues: Gagauz, Bulgarian and Ukrainian.
I consider that the educational system must have as its primary task the cultivation of the self-identity of the people as multiculturalism can contribute to the development of a common culture if the educational system, under the conditions of diversity, would allow both socialization in the culture of the minorities and their familiarization with the traditions of the coexisting cultures, in parallel with the promotion of tolerance and mutual respect between the majority and minority communities. The well-being and development of the Republic of Moldova must be the common point towards which all citizens will strive, regardless of ethnicity and the language spoken. Only a common goal at the national level would increase unity, acceptance and cooperation between representatives of different ethnic groups. No less important is to allow and even encourage national minorities to preserve and pass on the traditions, culture and language they possess to the younger generation.
Rajni Vohra: Looking back at your political career, what advice would you give to young individuals aspiring to enter politics, especially women who may face unique challenges in this field?
Olga Cebotari:I truly advocate for a balanced representation of women in politics based on merit. Self-doubt, stereotypes that „politics is for men” and other reservations prevent women from going into politics. For ladies who aspire to a political career, combining career and personal life is challenging, but not impossible. It’s primordial for us, women, to preserve and multiply successful projects, creative initiatives through which we can contribute qualitatively to the development of our country. Let us not be afraid to occupy positions of real decision-making power. Women, by nature, are skilled communicators and negotiators. Women who dedicate themselves to political life, through involvement, courage, creativity, have to bring something new to society and conspire to build a better future for coming generations, for our children. I believe that we, the women who are involved in politics, through our own model, must also inspire other women to raise their visibility in political life and become vocal.
Rajni Vohra: I appreciate your valuable time and the thoughtful responses you provided.