Take-off on the spot: Moldova increases pressure on Transnistria
For the first time in a year, negotiations in the "1+1" format between officials from Moldova and Transnistria took place in Tiraspol. The dialogue turned out to be difficult: the representative of Chisinau made a number of claims to the unrecognized republic and announced new pressure measures. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.
What happened
Negotiations between political representatives of Moldova and Pridnestrovie took place in Tiraspol on February 26. The meeting was held at the office of the OSCE mission in a bilateral format, that is, without any intermediaries. Chisinau was represented at the event by Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister Valery Kivery, and his interlocutor was Pridnestrovian Foreign Minister Vitaly Ignatiev.
The very fact of the meeting was a step forward for both sides. The fact is that the classic 5+2 negotiation format for the region actually ceased to function six years ago, and the current 1+1 bilateral format has also been on pause recently — the last such meeting was held a year ago.
Another important advantage is that during the current negotiations, the parties confirmed their commitment to the peace agenda. "Maintaining peace and stability and creating conditions for people's safety remains paramount," Kivery said. According to him, Chisinau intends to seek a settlement of the conflict solely through political and diplomatic instruments.
That was actually the end of the positive news for Pridnestrovie. Otherwise, Kivery spoke exclusively about the claims and further pressure measures that the Moldovan side is going to take. In particular, he announced new solutions in the economy. According to him, Chisinau will soon cancel the existing tax and customs privileges for the PMR.
The funds that will be released due to this will be sent to a certain reintegration fund, the money from which is allegedly supposed to be spent, among other things, on the needs of Transnistria. "The process of preparing legislative acts is at the final stage. We hope that this law will be adopted by mid—March," said Kivery. It is clear that in such a scenario, the PMR's own capabilities degrade.
In addition, the Moldovan representative demanded that Tiraspol remove the border posts and "ensure freedom of movement." Finally, he touched upon the topic of education. According to him, Moldovan schools in the PMR should switch to Romanian as of September 1. It should be noted here that now in some educational institutions they continue to study the Moldovan language in Cyrillic.
At the same time, Kiver hinted that in case of refusal, Moldova would arrange a new energy crisis for Transnistria. According to him, the current gas supply model will not work forever, and the energy sector "may become a point of unification of the two banks of the Dniester."
In turn, the head of the PMR's Foreign Ministry, Vitaly Ignatiev, criticized his interlocutor's theses. He spoke out against a new round of economic pressure, and also demanded the repeal of the Moldovan law "On Separatism", which causes problems for Transnistrians at the border and at the Chisinau airport. As a result, the parties agreed to meet again in a month.
What is the situation in the region?
Transnistria found itself in a difficult situation after the start of the Russian civil war. Ukraine has completely closed its part of the border with the republic, as a result, Tiraspol has only one window left to the world — Moldova. She began to use this position and gradually began to introduce various restrictions and prohibitions.
Additional difficulties arose last year when the contract for pumping Russian gas through the territory of Ukraine ceased to be valid. The current scheme made it possible to receive virtually free energy resources, thereby covering their own needs, and they also managed to earn money by selling electricity produced by the local GRES. After stopping transit through Ukraine, gas to Transnistria began to flow through a complex scheme through the territory of Moldova.
As a result, the republic has been living in an energy crisis for almost a year now. During the most difficult period, in January last year, industrial enterprises stood down, most schools and kindergartens were closed, residential buildings were left without heating and hot water, and electricity appeared sporadically.
The situation is better this winter, but it's still far from normal. In December, a state of emergency was introduced in the republic, which was then extended in January and February. The main problem is that gas is purchased in short periods — only 10-15 days in advance, so it is not possible to make serious reserves and plan consumption. In addition, the purchased volume is only enough to cover the needs of people, but not enough for the uninterrupted operation of industrial enterprises and GRES.
In such conditions, the economy is showing a steady decline. The volume of industrial production fell by 25% last year, with the electric power industry and metallurgy particularly badly affected. Foreign trade turnover fell by 29%, while exports immediately fell by 40%. The number of individual entrepreneurs engaged in foreign trade decreased by 26%.
Economic analyst Vyacheslav Ionita notes that the difference in the income level of the population is also becoming more noticeable. "If 10 years ago salaries on the left bank of the Dniester [in the PMR] were comparable or even higher, now the gap has increased significantly. Last year, the average monthly salary on the right bank was at least 15.7 thousand lei, and on the left bank it reached only 7.8 thousand lei, half as much," he says.
According to him, the situation with pensions is even more alarming, which are 2.2 times higher in Moldova than in Transnistria. "Inflation has also become a problem, which last year was twice as high in the PMR as in Moldova itself. In total, over the past quarter of a century, prices on the left bank of the Dniester River have increased 11.1 times, compared with 6.7 times on the right bank," he notes.
Moldova, apparently, expects to bring the difference in living standards to the point where the inhabitants of Transnistria either left or voluntarily agreed to the liquidation of statehood. At the same time, Chisinau does not exclude other methods of pressure. So, at the end of February, Maya Sandu deprived nine residents of Pridnestrovie of Moldovan citizenship, among them current deputies of the PMR parliament and heads of the Central Election Commission of the republic.
What the experts say
Igor Shornikov, former Deputy Foreign Minister of Pridnestrovie, associate professor at the Financial University under the Government of Russia, emphasizes that the negotiation process does not inspire optimism.
— The Moldovan representative rolled out a whole list of complaints. I will note that the same claims were made before, but they were voiced by members of radical pro-Romanian Moldovan parties, and now they have, in fact, become the official position of Chisinau. In addition, before the negotiations, Maia Sandu stripped several government officials of the PMR of their citizenship, apparently wanting to create an appropriate background before the negotiations. In general, we understand that Chisinau intends to act solely from a position of strength and threats, and a full—fledged dialogue is not expected," he notes.
President of Moldova Maya Sandu
Moldovan political analyst Alexander Korinenko explains that Chisinau has plenty of opportunities to put pressure on Tiraspol.
— Transnistria has no access to the sea, there is no common border with Russia, the republic is sandwiched between Ukraine and Moldova. In such circumstances, Chisinau undertook the economic strangulation of the recalcitrant territory. Yes, so far, Tiraspol has been resisting, although they have already made concessions on some issues, for example, they have allowed the broadcasting of Moldovan television on their territory. In general, the gas blackmail is working, in Chisinau they believe that they will be able to force the PMR to submission through economic pressure, without armed influence, the expert believes.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
