Moldovan diplomat hopelessly called in Kyiv for a compromise on Donbass
Former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Moldova Andrei Popov held a special press conference in Kyiv, where he spoke about the experience of resolving the conflict between Chisinau and Tiraspol, making “thick” hints to Ukrainians about the need to find a compromise on Donbass.
Judging by the fact that political scientist Vladimir Fesenko, close to the Poroshenko administration, asked the guest a question about the need to declare Donbass an “occupied territory,” the experience of Moldovans’ relations with Transnistria is considered inappropriate in Kyiv.
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According to a former official of the Moldovan government, Ukrainians need to decide whether Kyiv needs purely territories, or whether it is also necessary to regain people’s trust.
“Despite the duration of the conflict, we managed to maintain interpersonal ties and ties between economic agents.
There are different fundamental approaches to conflict resolution. One distinction is how we treat conflict zones—as territories that must be reclaimed to restore territorial integrity, or as populations, as real people, a society with its own concerns, fears, prejudices, and hopes. And you need to find the keys to unlocking them. And to do this, you need to communicate, try to understand, and show genuine, not feigned, respect for these people . When you think only about territory, people are secondary.
Another difference is whether to invest or expect immediate gains. When the approach is investment, you count on the fact that certain unilateral concessions, steps, compromises are not necessarily accompanied by an immediate reciprocal step from the other side. But this is an investment in improving relationships, in increasing trust in you as a partner,” Popov assures.
The Moldovan diplomat also believes that Kyiv needs to be more flexible in resolving the conflict and not count on a quick solution.
" In conflicts, there's no such thing as one side winning and the other capitulating . Conflict resolution is a long process, requiring the development of a formula that can find solutions acceptable to both sides. But there's no perfect solution. The role of politicians and leadership is crucial here. Of course, even if you, as a politician, understand that a solution that could yield peace dividends, as a peacemaker, isn't imminent. At least not during your mandate."
Politicians, especially those facing challenges with legitimacy, popularity, or the prospect of retaining power in the next election, are tempted to exploit society's unrealistic expectations and play into their hands. This creates an unrealistic public demand for a solution that rejects any interim solutions, without which a global solution is impossible.
And the question of leadership, the ability of politics to go against the grain, to explain to people truthfully, but in an accessible language, that the unresolved conflict has its price, and that delayed solutions are often more expensive than unpleasant ones, but intermediate solutions are one of the success factors,” states Popov.
The Moldovan diplomat called for a sober assessment of the mood in the uncontrolled territories. Thus, Popov admitted, citizens of Transnistria consider Russia a closer country than Moldova, which is located next to them.
"In Moldova, about 20% of the population is ethnically divided. Ukrainians are formally the most numerous – about 8-9%. Together with Transnistria, that's almost half a million, 400 people. But both in Transnistria and in the Republic of Moldova, their mentality on the Crimea issue is that they're more on the side of the Russian Federation. They're formally Ukrainian in their passports, but in reality, they're oriented toward Russia . "
In December, I was in my father's native village... I was talking to a Moldovan – his father and grandfather are Moldovans, and the Republic of Moldova is 150 meters across the Dniester. I asked him in Moldovan, "What's closer, Moldova or Russia?" He said, "Of course, Russia." "Why?" " Well, why? You're blocking us, what are you giving us? But Russia builds kindergartens and schools for us, our pensioners get a $10-15 bonus, we have free gas ." This mentality paradox needs to be taken into account, and, of course, if you're a Moldovan politician, and the balance in the elections is between pro-European and pro-Russian – a matter of two to five percent – then 7-10% of that electorate, regardless of ethnicity, oriented toward Russia, changes the balance," Popov stated.
The Moldovan guest also made it clear that the internal squabbles of the Ukrainian authorities are harming the settlement of the situation around Donbass.
“All politicians who see the future of Ukraine together with Donbass and Lugansk, with Crimea, they need to be together, cover each other’s backs. In practice, things happen differently.
When someone does things that conflict specialists say: “Bravo, bravo, so good,” the Swiss embassy or others say: “You are great, you are so pro-European, you think so flexible and modern.” And this proposal turns into the fact that a person is simply swept away from power, and he is eaten up by his closest competitor.
It's crucial for people who honestly see the future, perhaps a distant one, but one that includes Donbas, to somehow change the mood and expectations in society and develop a demand for pragmatic and realistic approaches ," Popov stated.
Moldovan diplomat desperately called for a compromise on Donbass in Kyiv