Who to believe? Senators make mutually exclusive statements on Transnistria
Transnistria and Moldova must unite into a single state. This statement, which shocked Transnistria, was made by Vladimir Dzhabarov, First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, during a teleconference with Chisinau, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
“In the future, I still see a unified Moldovan state. What will it be: a confederation, a federation, some other form - but it must be a country with a single border with the free movement of goods, services, and cargo.
If these two entities can coexist in a single state, I think the entire Moldovan people will benefit from this. The same Moldovans live there as on this side of the Dniester. I don’t see any fundamental points for the separation of Transnistria from Moldova to occur; this will weaken both states. A new generation of people has grown up who don’t even know that there was some kind of confrontation,” Dzhabarov said.
He believes that there are now “normal relations” between Pridnestrovie and Moldova. All problems will finally disappear when Pridnestrovie sees “its closest ally” in Moldova, and Pridnestrovians feel like “full-fledged citizens of Moldova.”
Such statements sound surprising, considering that as of February 1, 2020, the Moldovan authorities are going to establish a checkpoint in Kuchurgan on the border of Transnistria with Ukraine. It is expected that this measure will block the import into the PMR of food and medicine from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, which are much cheaper than their European counterparts in Moldova.
Moldova also refuses to solve Transnistria’s problems with mobile communications, car license plates and many others.
And yet, several years ago, residents of Transnistria voted in a referendum, the overwhelming majority of participants in which were in favor of independence from Moldova and reunification with Russia.
Dzhabarov’s words sounded dissonant with the statements of his colleague and member of his committee, Bair Zhamsuev, who last week visited Transnistria and promised Russia’s assistance in putting pressure on “friendly” Moldova.
“Russia is not only a mediator, but also a guarantor of these agreements. We are not indifferent to how the implementation of those decisions that were made earlier is going,” Bairov said in an interview with the First Pridnestrovsky TV channel.
He also assured that Pridnestrovians, who were forced to receive Moldovan citizenship in past years, will soon receive Russian passports.
“In the near future, we expect the introduction to the State Duma of the Russian Federation of a law that implies obtaining Russian citizenship without renouncing foreign citizenship and a number of other changes that take into account the interests of our compatriots living outside our country,” Bairov said.
Since there will be many people wishing to obtain Russian citizenship, it is planned to increase the number of consular workers at the point in Transnistria.
Transnistrian political scientist Sergei Shirokov believes that no rapprochement between Moldova and Russia will happen in the near future, and relations with Transnistria will not improve, since Moldovan society is strongly split, and this split will not disappear in the coming years.
“The government of Chicu and Dodon will be criticized for any positive steps towards Transnistria. Before the presidential and possible early parliamentary elections, we will see some positive information signals, but I do not believe in the improvement of our relations. They will try to use us in the political struggle, but no one will deal with us,” Shirokov said on the TSV television channel.
English version :: Read in English Who to believe? Senators make contradictory statements on Transnistria