CORRECTION - Moldovan Presidential Candidate Visits with Leaders in Washington, D.C. This Week to Discuss the Future and Opportunities for U.S. Support in Moldova

WASHINGTON, Sept. 22, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In the news release, Moldovan Presidential Candidate Visits with Leaders in Washington, D.C. This Week to Discuss the Future and Opportunities for U.S. Support in Moldova, issued September 22, 2016 by Dignity and Truth Platform Party over PR Newswire, we are advised that commentary directed towards Mr. Vladimir Plahotniuc in the eighth paragraph should be disregarded; said commentary is unfounded.  Complete, corrected release follows:

Moldovan opposition leader and national presidential candidate Andrei Năstase, President of the Dignity and Truth Platform Party, met this week with a number of key non-governmental organizations (NGOs), Congressional members and committees, and senior State Department officials in Washington, DC to discuss the political, social, and economic issues plaguing Moldova today.

Mr. Nastase, the elected Chairman of the Great National Assembly Council, a non-governmental movement in Moldova, explained the consequences of rampant corruption and government suppression in the Eastern European country, including low levels of foreign direct investment, vanishing employment opportunities, and increasingly high rates of emigration. He spoke of the need for a viable and democratic political alternative and called upon U.S. stakeholders to increase their attention and support in the struggling country.

"In 2016, Moldova can be considered a prime example of a kleptocracy, and this must change," said Mr. Nastase. "I call on the U.S. Congress and the NGO community to push for political, social, and economic reforms, as well as to support free press in Moldova. Only then can we hope to reach accountability, transparency, and a true democracy in my country."

Mr. Nastase met with think tanks and NGOs that are engaged in the Eastern European region and particularly Moldova, including the American Jewish Committee, the Atlantic Council, the National Endowment for Democracy, and the International Republican Institute. During these productive meetings, the parties discussed ways to strengthen support and to stimulate an active NGO community in Moldova. With cooperation, the creation of partnerships, and properly ensuring funding reaches its intended place in society, local civil society organizations can drive real progress and change the lives of Moldovans for the better, more quickly.

"I welcome and look forward to the efforts of international organizations creating a brighter future for Moldovans," said Mr. Nastase.

Mr. Nastase received a warm reception during his sit-downs Congressional members and professional staff from committees, which included the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and the State and Foreign Operations Appropriation Subcommittee.

In these meetings, Mr. Nastase highlighted the instances in which U.S. foreign aid to Moldova – millions appropriated and allocated via the State Department, International Monetary Fund, and USAID funding – were mishandled, inappropriately used, and abused. In light of next month's upcoming national elections, the parties also discussed the issue of a fair and free electoral process.

"The problems in Moldova are real – poverty, a lack of due process, and a government that is actively suppressing free society. Systemic corruption at the highest levels of the current Moldovan government reached its peak in 2014 with the disappearance of one billion dollars from Moldova's central reserves," said Mr. Nastase. "We must restore the faith of the people in their government. We must appoint an independent Prosecutor General in order to ensure that the upcoming elections are free and democratic - so that the will of the people may be heard and that Moldova may finally have a future as a free and successful country."

About Andrei Năstase and the Dignity and Truth Platform Party

Andrei Năstase was elected President of the Dignity and Truth Platform Party in December 2015. 

He is also the elected President of the Great National Assembly Council (CMAN), a group of prominent journalists, artists, political analysts  and other public figures, who work to provide a strategic framework for peaceful protest in the country. Mr. Năstase is a former prosecutor, lawyer, and university lecturer.

The Dignity and Truth Platform Party, which grew out of the ongoing anti-corruption grassroots movement in Moldova, calls for a pro-European political alternative. The Party's popular protests rail against the country's political system, which is often criticized as oligarchic.

SOURCE Dignity and Truth Platform Party