The work of the Joint Control Commission (JCC), the governing body of the peacekeeping mission, cannot get back on track so far. Despite the efforts made by delegations and representatives of the negotiation format, it still looks impossible to reach a consensus and take a collective decision on al least one out of more than 50 issues on the agenda. The stumbling block is the issue relating to the freedom of movement. The Moldovan side insists on debating this issue and under any pretext prevents other topics from being discussed…
Moldova proposed to put the freedom of movement issue on the JCC agenda almost a year ago. After this initiative had been rejected, the Moldovan side refused to agree the agenda in defiance of the regulations. There were no meetings for nine months. The Pridnestrovian delegation focused the attention on the fact that this aspect does not fall under the jurisdiction of the JCC and is considered at other negotiation platforms. It was specially emphasised that the freedom of movement issue is many-sided.
«Following the logic of the Moldovan delegation to the JCC, the commission should also consider issues relating to the restrictions on passenger trains transit through Pridnestrovie, full restriction on the activities of Pridnestrovie's Tiras-Avia air company, nearly full restriction on passenger vehicles registered in Pridnestrovie going abroad. Moreover, Moldova is restricting Pridnestrovie's exports and imports: importing products and raw material to Pridnestrovie is restricted; exporting Pridnestrovie's production is considerably restricted; Pridnestrovie's businesses are compelled to register in Moldova, which leads to double taxation and makes their production noncompetitive. This is nothing less than an attempt of economic suffocation of Pridnestrovie, which in no way supports conflict resolution. Besides, Moldova restricts movement of services in Pridnestrovie, including telephone and television communications, that is, «causes interference to Pridnestrovie's cellular operator; limits the capacity to provide services for Pridnestrovie's postal service and mass-media," argued Oleg Belyakov, Pridnestrovie's co-chair in the JCC.
With the only aim of continuing the dialogue and preserving the foundation of the peacekeeping operation, Pridnestrovie agreed to a compromise. On 29 January 2015 the agenda was approved and agreed. However there has been no long-expected breakthrough. The Moldovan delegation is still blocking the work of the JCC, now with the agreed agenda. Moldova's negotiators relate agreements on each, even previously agreed issue to making a decision on the topic they have proposed. Furthermore, Moldova's spokespersons are making statements (for the first time in the history of the JCC) that Moldova refuses to take part in the exercises of the Joint Peacekeeping Forces and tries to amend the regulations of the commission.
Black and white
Best defence is offence. This is the principle Moldova is likely to be following in order to justify its reluctance to join the work. Actually, they do not even have to justify themselves: their opponents are declared guilty; they settle their own never defined rules of the game; white is called black.
On 20 May Moldova's delegation submitted to the JCC a statement on the alleged violation of citizens' freedom of movement in the Security Zone. It should be noted that the statement says about individual incidents, which are no more than provocation.
The answer by the Pridnestrovian side reveals that the «victims» mentioned in Moldova's complaint have already got into such incidents.
«At JCC meetings members of the Moldovan delegation try to get the commission into discussing issues on the so-called 'incidents' at Pridnestrovie's border checkpoints related to an attempt of illegal passage of individual citizens of Moldova and their 'detention'. It should be taken into account that hundreds and possibly thousands of Moldovan citizens easily pass Pridnestrovie's border checkpoints every day. They do not have any problems. And only a few citizens of Moldova have got into the so-called 'incidents' for months and even years. Always the same citizens. Doubts therefore arise as to whether these persons are just Moldovan citizens rather than activists concerned… The vicious logic is as follows: to accuse the opponents of all problems in the Security Zone and let them justify themselves. The Pridnestrovian delegation underscores one more time that such insinuations do not accord with reality," say official Tiraspol spokespersons.
Besides, Moldova's statement criticises without proof the position of the Pridnestrovian side, supposedly preventing the normal work of the JCC. It is surprising that such «denunciation» is distributed to JCC delegations, which actively participate in the negotiation process and know all reasons and circumstances at first hand.
«Such actions by the Moldovan delegation raise serious concern. Moldova's accusations of the Pridnestrovian delegation in blocking the work of the JCC are a groundless and provocative attempt to shift the responsibility," point out members of the Pridnestrovian delegation to the JCC.
What are the reasons for distorting facts and Moldova's reluctance to engage in constructive dialogue? The answer is evident: discredit of the peacekeeping operation and initiation of the withdrawal from the basic agreements. But forecasting the aftermath of such activities is not so easy to do…
Pavel Mirov
