American Senator John McCain: “The U.S. will help Moldova resist propaganda and will invest in the development of independent media”

The United States will help Moldova resist pressure and propaganda and will invest in the development of independent media, U.S. Senator John McCain said last week at a meeting with the president of the Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova (LDPM) Vlad Filat. The statement of the American official came in the context when discussions about the need to ensure the country’s information security had been increasing in intensity in Chisinau.

“The United States can offer expertise and technology for Moldova to go on. This year, Moldova will make not only a political choice, but also a geopolitical one. We will help Moldova resist pressure, propaganda and the existent security risks. The United States have all the possibilities to contribute, within a short time, to ensuring Moldova’s information security by investing in the development of independent media and by a steady political position from Washington,” John McCain said, according to a press release of the LDPM.

Discussions about the security of the information space intensified over the past months in the context of the Ukrainian crisis and accusations of Russia using propaganda. The leaders of the Pro-European Coalition decided on 12 March that “concrete actions” need to be made to ensure the information security of Moldova, having recognized that it is jeopardized.

Later, Ana Gutu, MP representing the Liberal Reformatory Party, issued a public address to the president of the Broadcasting Coordinating Council (BCC) Marian Pocaznoi, asking for cessation of the propaganda of Russian radio stations and TV channels rebroadcast in Moldova. According to the MP, cited by Radio Chisinau, in the context of the regional political situation, newscasts and political talk shows produced in Russia and broadcast in Moldova could be replaced with local programs.

On 17 April, the BCC decided to monitor the Russian TV channels rebroadcast in Moldova so as to verify whether they comply with the national legislation on broadcasting.

In an interview for media-azi.md, the BCC President Marian Pocaznoi spoke in favor of penalizing the televisions that encroach on the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. “If findings show that some channels are encroaching on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of a country, they must be penalized, so that they stop promoting such topics,” Marian Pocaznoi said.

Meanwhile, Moldovan MPs are discussing with Romanian MPs about the possibility of creating a common information space, including for the purpose of counteracting the influence of Russian media in Moldova. This idea was discussed in the middle of April at a meeting of MPs of the two countries. Ana Gutu said at the time that such an agreement would be especially beneficial for Moldova. “Since its independence, Moldova has always had its information space under the occupation of Russian mass media, including print media. Of about 1,600 publications, 1,200 are in Russian. The proportion in destructive in television – 90% of the channels rebroadcast by cable operators are in Russian. With these channels, ideology and propaganda come as well,” Ana Gutu said.