Presidential Address, "Political Self-Sufficiency", Tasks for the PMR Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Transcript)

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall maintain ongoing dialogue with all participants in the "5+2" format and constructively minded international actors in the interests of maintaining peace and security in Pridnestrovie, continuing the peacekeeping operation on the Dniester, and restoring the functioning of legitimate negotiation mechanisms. I will expand on this point and clarify the following. What does the absence of the "5+2" format actually imply? It means the absence of negotiations as such. I as President and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs probably hold hundreds of various international meetings each year jointly, separately, and so on. This is not a negotiation process. These are dialogues. Thank God they exist, but these are simply dialogues. We discuss problems, provide guidance to each other, talk about peace, and, naturally, discuss ways to achieve it. But when it comes to the Pridnestrovian settlement, there is no progress because there is no negotiation process.

Furthermore, the "5+2" format always had working groups. Working groups in various areas. These included law enforcement, the economy, the environment, healthcare, social protection, and so on, and so forth, and so forth. That is, in addition to these global meetings, the regular conferences that met once or twice a year, there were always specialized experts assessing problems and proposing solutions. So, along with the virtual absence of work in the "5+2" format, work in the working groups has either been severely frozen or completely absent. So what happened? The problems that exist are not being addressed by specialized experts in the "5+2" format. But problems won't just be solved. That doesn't happen in life. We have to solve everything ourselves. I want to give some examples in this regard. So you understand: I discuss all these examples in all the dialogues I conduct with our colleagues, with various international organizations and mediators. Let's take law enforcement. Everyone understands that criminals have no nationality. They are criminals. They earn their living in their chosen way: fraud, theft, murder, drug and weapons trafficking, and so on. Of course, they only take advantage of the poor relations between the law enforcement agencies between Pridnestrovie and Moldova, shall we say. Although, let me remind you: in 1999 and the 2000s, cooperation agreements were signed between the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Moldova, which essentially laid out the entire algorithm for our joint actions: information exchange, record-keeping, joint operational activities, and crime detection, which, of course, had a negative impact on cross-border crime. But Moldova unilaterally withdrew from these agreements in 2004. Pridnestrovie did not withdraw. And now, there's no point in talking about any cooperation. Yes, to be more subtle, you could say, well, of course, somewhere at the grassroots level, at the mid-level, there is cooperation. Perhaps there is. I was Minister of the Interior. I assure you, these are all dangerous games, and they end badly. Because without a document, we are putting ordinary employees at risk, who will certainly suffer if the situation suddenly gets out of control. The Interior Ministry knows perfectly well what I'm talking about. By the way, the security forces are also being put at risk. We need to understand it too. What can they do without a document? Nothing. Therefore, Pridnestrovie is proposing that Moldova be guided by common sense, understand that cross-border crime exists (I'll touch on that in a moment), and fight crime together. Starting at some point, that is, with some kind of document on cooperation. As I already said, this involves exchanging information, exchanging data, exchanging necessary reports, and so on.

Examples. What's really the issue here? If we're talking about run-of-the-mill thefts, that's not a problem. I'm talking about cross-border crime involving the sale and distribution of narcotics. Just for your information. If you're even slightly interested in the news from our neighboring country, there's a lot of public information about law enforcement agencies (well done, by the way) constantly seizing large quantities of synthetic narcotics – this includes Moldovan customs and other operational services – that unfortunately have entered Moldova from Ukraine. The quantities involved are in the millions. These narcotics, as I've already said, are synthetic, not plant-based, and extremely dangerous to the human body. They either partially end up in Moldova or are sent to the European Union. Is it a problem? Yes, it is a problem. Last year, State Customs Committee and MGB officers – that is, the agencies manning the posts and checkpoints – uncovered 16 cases of synthetic narcotics smuggling bound for Pridnestrovie. These 16 were only discovered—documented and stopped. The individuals involved, of course, were detained. Sixteen. This, incidentally, relates to the need for checkpoints. I often communicate and speak on these topics. Take these checkpoints. They say they interfere. What do they interfere with? Do they interfere with security? Do they interfere with drug trafficking? What do these checkpoints interfere with? This is a pressing issue. We simply cannot do without checkpoints. And those, unfortunately, queues we sometimes see at the entrance to the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic are precisely because of this. Unfortunately, we need to inspect, we need to think about security, we need to think about the younger generation. I'm not even mentioning the number of drug trafficking cases documented in Pridnestrovie. Over a hundred. In Moldova, I believe there are over 900. So, joint efforts. This is the responsibility of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. What does this joint effort entail? We are ready, if cooperation is established, to allow police officers to work with any courier detained on our territory, identifying, of course, the source of the drugs, and then working on Moldovan soil to eradicate the supply chain not only to Pridnestrovie but also to far-flung destinations. That's the essence of this cooperation. Is this bad? No, in my opinion, it's very good. We need to think about this, we need to talk about it, we need to work on it. Why did this happen? It stems precisely from Moldova's actions to de facto freeze the "5+2" negotiating format since 2019.

The next problem, also a large-scale one, which must be addressed exclusively jointly, is the environmental issue. We need to talk about it, to make a statement. The thing is, all the wastewater treatment facilities built in Moldova, and frankly, in Pridnestrovie, are a legacy of the Soviet Union. Yes, they were reliable in their time. But they only handled a certain amount, a certain volume of discharge and processing. There's the aging of all sorts of materials – both concrete and metal. These facilities need to be constantly repaired and modernized. We're working on this in Pridnestrovie, by the way. We have problems, of course, but they're not overwhelming. So, for three years now, our sanitary inspectors have been taking samples from the Dniester River at the confluence of small rivers from Moldova. These include the Bychok and others. What do our laboratories show? Pollution of the Dniester River by various chemicals, discharges, exceeds the standard by 240 times, please, think about it. 240 times. This is the result of the improper and inadequate operation of wastewater treatment facilities specifically in Moldova. A common problem, by the way. The Dniester River is a common one. It flows past Ukraine, Moldova, and Pridnestrovie. Chisinau, Tiraspol, and parts of Odessa, and so on, all use its water. Who will measure the levels of heavy metals in these waters? After all, the number of vehicles has increased dramatically. This is an emission. Where does all this stormwater go? Into the Dniester River, and directly, bypassing even the wastewater treatment facilities. We are surprised by the tragedy that occurs all the time, when small children, even infants, are diagnosed with cancer. Is there a cause-and-effect relationship? I am convinced there is. Because water is a product that either heals or poisons the human body. This is a fundamental product.

This is the work of the "5+2" format because the "5+2" format is not just a political platform for discussing integration, reintegration, and so on. No. The "5+2" format is designed to address the problems of people living on the left and right banks, in Pridnestrovie and Moldova. The specific problems I've outlined are, in principle, even more numerous. These are probably the most pressing and understandable to everyone. Therefore, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs must focus its efforts on proving the basic truth that without a negotiating platform, of course.

If we're talking about interaction, the Supreme Council of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic should also be a factor. Previously, there was some interaction. This involved the Supreme Council of Pridnestrovie and the Parliament of Moldova. This is normal. We're not talking about interaction between leaders. This is unnecessary. But in terms of approaching the problems I've outlined, they may require legislative changes. This is necessary. At the technical specialist level. We propose such options, but unfortunately, we are not being heard. They're probably afraid. They're afraid that the deputies will start talking about the Pridnestrovian people and our achievements in Pridnestrovie. Oh well. This topic should be discussed when meeting with colleagues at the same level. That is, we are not against interaction. We are all for it.

Next. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs should emphasize the priority of the identity of the Pridnestrovian people in international relations, including the development of promising concepts in scientific research, as well as in public and information activities. Promote the development of systemic relations between Pridnestrovie and Russia within the framework of a strategic partnership. Facilitate the implementation of international humanitarian projects. Support and coordinate the implementation of joint targeted projects with the Russian Federation, including in the areas of civil law relations, human rights and information policy, support for peacekeeping and security, education, healthcare, social protection, youth policy, sports, and culture. Of course, we need to build normal, pragmatic relations with our neighbors: both Ukraine and Moldova. This is absolutely normal. Let me remind you that Pridnestrovie has three official languages: Russian, Ukrainian, and Moldovan. Pridnestroian State University has cultural centers, including a Ukrainian cultural center. We have historical sites dedicated to the history of Ukraine and the Zaporizhian Host. We have a lyceum where children are taught in the Ukrainian language. All our schools teach Ukrainian as a second language, or Moldovan as a second language. More than half a million Ukrainian refugees have passed through Pridnestrovie since February 2022, during the fighting in Ukraine. These are people who arrived, left, stayed with us, visited, chose another destination, and tens of thousands remained here, in Pridnestrovie. We provide them with free education (both secondary and further), free healthcare. A refugee reception center is open. That's how it is. It will continue to be that way.

Furthermore, we must firmly defend our principles, our history, and our memory. We must understand that "transnistria" is a word synonymous with the Holocaust. We must know the history of Pridnestrovie during the Nazi-Fascist-Romanian occupation of Pridnestrovie. We must engage with this history and honor the memory of the fallen, the torn to pieces, the burned and shot, as well as those who liberated the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, of course. We must resist the rehabilitation of Nazism and fascism in Pridnestrovie. We must resist with our active stance. This is the task of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this is the task of all state authorities and administrative bodies.