Petition in favor of the Republic of Moldova establishing stronger bilateral ties with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela

My name is Randolph Anthony Piazza. I am an ex-Peace Corps Agricultural Extension Volunteer (Bolivia 2003-2004) and ex-CNFA/USAID Agribusiness Volunteer (Donduseni, Moldova 2006). I am circulating a petition in favor of the Republic of Moldova establishing stronger bilateral ties with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and securing aid from the International Humanitarian Fund. Humanitarian concern and the continued emergence of a multipolar world are my motivations. I have been in Venezuela since 2006, seeking to encourage Moldovan-Venezuelan relations through contact with governmental ministries(Foreign Affairs, Planning and Development, Finance, Science and Technology and Light Industry and Commerce) political parties (PCV, PSUV and PPT), Deputies in the Natonal Assembly, Latin American Parliament and Andean Parliament, international visitors (i.e. Joseph E. Stiglitz and Michael Leibowitz), various embassies and other influential figures.

The below petition is submitted for your consideration and may be forwarded to other parties, indeed I fraternally request your support in obtaining these signatures. With seven hundred signatures, it will be presented to the Venezuelan and Moldovan Ministries of Foreign Affairs. I wish to thank all those who lend support to this proposal, in the name of Moldova’s people and all those who recognise the importance of international socialism in these increasingly difficult times. Those who support it I kindly request that you send me your name, Nationality, job title and email.

Randolph Anthony Piazza, Citizen of the USA
randolph.piazza(at)gmail.com
MA in Rural Livelihoods and Global Change 2005
The Institute of Social Studies, The Hague, The Netherlands

p.s. I am attaching the petition as well as the documents that I wrote that have been authorized by Moldovan government officials in the Academy of Sciences, which is on the same level as a Ministry.

—

Petition in Favor of the Initiative to Secure Aid from the International Humanitarian Fund of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela for the Republic of Moldova, as well as closer mutually beneficial bi-lateral relations between these two countries

The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has been truly revolutionary in its provision of humanitarian aid, not only to London and the United States, but also to devastated countries such as Palestine, Haiti and Zimbabwe.

With the gracious support of the majority of Venezuelan citizens, this hand of solidarity has been extended magnanimously to vulnerable populations around the world. President Hugo Chavez understands that socialist internationalism could save hundreds of millions of lives from global warming and energy scarcity in the coming decades.

We believe the Republic of Moldova represents a special case worthy of consideration by the International Humanitarian Fund of Venezuela, and all progressive foreign policy. We urge the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to take note of the plight of the Moldovans living in Europe’s poorest country; subject to forces which seek to contain the resurgent Russian Federation.

Moldova is generally considered a failed state. In 2002, its GDP plunged by over two-thirds. In 2007, the vital agricultural sector suffered its most severe drought in modern history. Half of the working-age population now lives abroad, generating 36.2% of GDP and making Moldova the most remittance-dependent country in the world[i]. There also exists the human tragedy of Moldovan women being trafficked into sexual slavery.

Joseph Stiglitz has said that “[a]s the situation in Moldova demonstrates, without debt relief the highly indebted poor countries will not be able to meet the basic needs of their citizens, let alone make the investments necessary if they are to grow out of poverty”[ii]. Over 75% of Moldova’s vastly-reduced GDP continues to finance its foreign debt.

Moldova’s precarious situation, especially in rural areas, is forecasted to worsen dramatically as a result of growing unemployment in Europe, forcing economic migrants to return home and, as a result, money remittances from abroad will diminish. Rising energy costs and import dependency will further threaten the stability of the country, whose soldiers are utilized by NATO to undermine an emerging multi-polar world.

The foreign policy embodied within Venezuela’s “Simon Bolivar” National Project (2007-2013), and Chavez’s various proposals to create global humanitarian funds, have dramatically elevated the international standing of ’21st century socialism’. A very modest expansion of such policy to alleviate poverty in Moldova would establish yet another beacon of Bolivarian solidarity and hope in one of the most vulnerable regions of the planet.
We hope that the governments of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and the Republic of Moldova, in the names of their respective peoples, can establish a macro accord with the aim of strengthening bilateral relations and promoting mutual assistance wherever possible.

[i] The World Bank (2008) Migration and Remittances Factbook: The World Bank, Washington, D.C

[ii] Stiglitz, Joseph E. (2006) Making Globalization Work, W.W. Norton & Company, Chapter 8: The Burden of Debt