going to russia
This year marks 30 years since the start of the peacekeeping operation in Transnistria. The agreement on the principles of the peaceful resolution of the armed conflict was signed on 21 July 1992. Vitaly Ignatiev, the unrecognized Pridnestrovian Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Moldova, summed up the attitude of the citizens of the PMR to independence, in an interview with RIA Novosti.
“The vector of Pridnestrovie remained unchanged throughout the years of the republic’s existence; this was clearly reflected in the results of the referendum on September 17, 2006, and it was clearly stated here: independence with subsequent free accession to the Russian Federation. The independence of the country is an absolute priority,” he said.
He noted that international legal arguments in defense of the concept of sovereignty and broad recognition of the republic had long been formed and that “almost no one could challenge them”.
PMR Foreign Minister stressed that “Pridnestrovie will not take any decision that will harm the country’s half a million people, and will act pragmatically and honestly”.
According to open sources, a survey was conducted among the citizens of Transnistria on September 17, 2006. They were asked whether they would like to continue the route for international recognition of the PMR and then become part of Russia, or if they would prefer to return to Moldova. 94.6% of the population of the Republic voted for the first option and only 3.4% voted for the second option. %2 could not decide on an answer. Moldova, on the other hand, followed a course of integration with Romania, which never included Pridnestrovie.
“Unique” peacekeepers
Konstantin Zatulin, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs, told Gazeta.ru that the head of the Pridnestrovian Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently decided to recall the principled attitude of the inhabitants of the republic, due to the fact that Moldova and Ukraine are located in the country. escalates the situation in the region.
“The statement (by Ignatieva – Gazeta.ru) emphasizes that on the background of Moldova’s obvious rapprochement with NATO and the EU, more and more frequent statements are made from Chisinau about their support for Ukraine, about various hostile attacks on Russia. At the moment Pridnestrovie – the stronghold of the Russian world on the Dniester – sees it as his task to confirm the position,” said Zatulin.
According to him, Russia’s peacekeeping mission in Pridnestrovie is unique in that “in the period since its inception there have been no casualties, destruction, bombardment, serious violations of the ceasefire regime.” The deputy noted that the Moldovan authorities have recently “not only created difficulties for Pridnestrovie, but also wanted to “surrender” their country to Romania. This is evidenced, for example, by the fact that the President of Moldova does not hide his Romanian citizenship.
“There is no doubt,” the deputy continued, that the residents of Pridnestrovie are citizens of Russian citizens.
PMR’s representative at the Joint Control Commission, GCC co-chair Oleg Belyakov, told socialbites.ca that while a peacekeeping mission operates in Pridnestrovie, residents can count on maintaining security in the area. According to him, “Currently the residents of Transnistria feel protected from acts of violence and aggression.”
In principle, I expect Russia to be ready. [к присоединению]. Transnistria has never separated itself from Russia. For many years, we have shared Russia’s wishes in every field – in politics and in life. We hope that in Russia they will react quite positively to this, ”he added.
“Our paths parted”
The day before, the First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council International Relations Committee, Vladimir Dzhbarov, said that Russia would not allow such a scenario as the withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers from Transnistria, despite the plans of the Moldovan authorities.
“The peacekeepers, including Russian military personnel, have always been a guarantee of security, a stronghold of predictability and calm on the left bank of the Dniester. Any attempt by irresponsible politicians in Chisinau to question this role of the peacekeepers, to force a change in the format of the peacekeeping operation with the withdrawal of Russian troops from the region will lead to instability and inevitable bloodshed. We will not allow this scenario if 220 thousand Russian citizens live in Pridnestrovie.
In response, Alexei Polishchuk, Director of the Second Department of the CIS States of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, noted that Moldova’s actions to blockade Transnistria could lead to the resolution of the Transnistria conflict and this would not be allowed.
“Chisinau’s tendency to move away from the neutrality enshrined in the country’s constitution is also worrying. Today we see how Moldova approaches NATO despite its non-bloc status.”
PMR Head declaration In an interview with “Parliamentskaya Gazeta” he said that Pridnestrovie and Moldova are two separate states that have chosen opposite development paths.
“We parted ways with Moldova a long time ago, no matter what they try to talk about some kind of unity, Moldova destroyed it thirty years ago and started a war,” says the head of the unrecognized state.
history of conflict
According to open sources, when the conflict began, Transnistria was the most economically developed region of the former Moldovan SSR. It is located on the left bank of the Dniester and is inhabited by Russians, Ukrainians and Moldovans in approximately equal proportions. In the 20s of the last century, after the collapse of the monarchy in Russia, the Transnistria region was transformed into the Moldovan ASSR, whose capital was in Tiraspol, and became part of the Ukrainian SSR.
After Romania returned Bessarabia to the USSR in 1940, the newly acquired territories were combined with Transnistria and transformed into the Moldovan SSR, with its capital in Chisinau.
In 1989, during the “sovereignty parade”, the Supreme Council of Moldova passed a language law, in which the region passed, among other things, to the Romanian spelling and the use of the Russian language. was reduced, which caused anger among the residents of Transnistria. In 1991, the Supreme Council of Moldova adopted a declaration of independence. In response, the PMR also declared its independence. Moldova did not recognize him. The country’s leadership considered the forced return of the rebels.
A significant challenge for a quick solution to the problem was the location of the fourteenth Soviet army on the territory of Transnistria. Then he found himself in an unusual situation: the soldiers were soldiers of the USSR, citizens of Moldova and residents of Transnistria at the same time. The risk of engagement on the Transnistrian side was high, as the majority of the army was made up of PMR natives and long-established people.
Hostilities began on March 1, 1992, when Moldovan forces attacked one of the military units of the former Soviet army in order to seize weapons. In April 1992, Russian President Boris Yeltsin issued a decree transferring the 14th Soviet Army to Russian jurisdiction and appointed General Alexander Lebed as commander. The forces of the 14th Army managed to push the Moldovan and Pridnestrovian formations back from the line of contact and deploy the Russian peacekeeping unit in the emerging corridor. The conflict was frozen.
The parties to the conflict sat at the negotiating table, but so far they have not agreed on anything.