Expert forecast: Transnistria will be put under pressure slowly but consistently
Chisinau has set a course to worsen the standard of living of the residents of Transnistria in order to force the republic to unify.
This was stated to Izvestia by Dmitry Ofitserov-Belsky, a senior researcher at the Primakov Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO) of the Russian Academy of Sciences, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
According to him, pro-Western forces in Moldova are confident that they have come in earnest and for the long haul.
“I do not exclude that this is so. There will most likely no longer be a turn towards Russia. The goal of the Moldovan authorities is unification with Romania. But this is impossible as long as Pridnestrovie is independent. The only way to solve this problem is to unite the left-bank and right-bank parts of Moldova into a unitary state. In Chisinau they always deny the possibility of federalization,” said Officer-Belsky.
“If everything goes well in Transnistria, there will be no unification with Moldova. The only option is to block the region from all sides; this can be done without your own hands. Ukraine has bad relations with Russia, and they will not get any worse if Kyiv blocks the Transnistrian region,” the analyst added, the specialist believes.
He says Chisinau has the ability to exert economic pressure on the PMR, given that one- fifth of Transnistria's foreign trade is with Russia, while the rest goes to Romania, right-bank Moldova, and EU countries. Moreover, virtually all Transnistrian businesses are legally registered in Moldova.
“It is possible to paralyze economic life in Transnistria quickly and effectively. Sandu does this quite gently, but consistently. Transnistria will be put under pressure little by little. The main thing is not to overpress, otherwise it will cause a backlash. The Moldovan authorities will be engaged in the Romanianization of the country. They are sure: it is necessary to worsen the quality of life of the residents of Transnistria, without irritating Russia too much, in order to receive some preferences from Moscow,” summarizes Ofitserov-Belsky.
English version :: Read in English Expert forecast: Transnistria will be pressured slowly but steadily