Chairman Risch, Ranking Member Shaheen Statement Ahead of Moldovan Parliamentary Elections

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), chairman and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, along with Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Tedd Budd (R-N.C.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) released the following statement ahead of Moldova's upcoming parliamentary elections:

"As Moldovans prepare to vote for a new parliament next month, there is clear and overwhelming evidence that Russia is conducting a state-backed campaign to meddle in Moldova's upcoming elections, just as they blatantly did last year. Despite Russia's attempts to undermine election integrity in Moldova, voters have turned out to reject Russia's efforts to use propaganda, economic coercion and vote buying schemes to sway the polls. We welcome efforts by the Trump Administration to counter Russia-backed actors use of cryptocurrency to facilitate these nefarious efforts. The best way for Moldovans, including those in the diaspora, to preserve their sovereignty in the face of Russian interference is to show up at the ballot box and exercise their right to free expression.

"We recognize the significant progress Moldova has made in recent years to build up their democracy and freely advance relationships with the United States and the European Union that serve our mutual benefit. Moldova is a critical member of the transatlantic community and its future has strong implications for our allies and partners across the region. We must remember that from Moldova's independence to this day, Russia continues to illegally keep troops on sovereign Moldovan territory and uses this presence to advance its broader expansionist goals, especially with regard to Ukraine.

"Moldovans, and the peoples of all nations, deserve the right to pursue the future they want for their country free from foreign interference. The United States aims to help them preserve this right, while Russia seeks to deny them of it in order to advance its own geopolitical agenda. We are proud to stand up for Moldova's right to self-determination and look forward to strengthening our partnership in the years to come."

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