The expert assessed the negotiations between Moldova and Transnistria

Moldova has put forward a whole list of claims against Transnistria, and Chisinau intends to act solely from a position of force and pressure in relations with Tiraspol. Igor Shornikov, former Deputy Foreign Minister of Pridnestrovie, associate professor at the Financial University under the Government of Russia, stated this in an interview with Izvestia.

Land stripping: how and why Romania is preparing to absorb Moldova

What threats does this process pose to Russia?

"The Moldovan representative rolled out a whole list of claims. 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 [the head of the republic] Maia Sandu stripped several PMR statesmen 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 said.

Earlier, on February 26, a meeting of officials from Moldova and Transnistria was held in Tiraspol. The representative of Chisinau, Valery Kiveri, announced the cancellation of tax and customs privileges still in force for the unrecognized republic, demanded the abolition of border posts and the introduction of Romanian language learning in schools of the PMR.

On February 14, former Moldovan President Igor Dodon said that in 2022, the Ukrainian authorities discussed pressure scenarios on Transnistria with Chisinau.

"According to my information, various options were discussed then. The Ukrainian side considered the possibility of participating if Moldova had made such a request, but Chisinau eventually refused," he said.

Read more in the Izvestia article:

Take-off on the spot: Moldova increases pressure on Transnistria