Tiraspol, 30 March. /Novosti Pridnestrovya/. According to Moldova's vice premier and chief negotiator, Gheorghe Balan, «very slow reforms of state authorities» are stalling Moldova's «successful reintegration» into a single state. Such a statement he made on Publika TV's Fabrika show.
Gheorghe Balan holds that as of today Moldova's living standards «are already higher» than in Pridnestorvie, and after reforms they will rise insomuch that the citizens of the PMR will gladly refuse their statehood to join such a successful and prosperous country. For reference: Pridnestrovie's average salary as of February is 3,376 roubles, which is equal to $334, according to the PRB's official exchange rate. The average salary of a Moldovan citizen in 2015 was 4,500 lei, or $ 229, according to the exchange rate of the National Bank of Moldova. Let's have a look out of interest at public utilities rates in Pridnestrovie and Moldova. A Pridnestrovian consumer pays 0.81 rouble, or $0.07, per cubic metre of natural gas, whereas in Moldova one cubic metre costs $0.35, which is five times as much. The same refers to electric power tariffs: 1 kWh costs $0.045 in Pridnestrovie against Moldova's $0.11 or $0,113 or $0.085, depending on a supplier and the technical characteristics of a transfer line. It is evident that the comparison is not in favour of Moldova.
Whether Mr Balan is cunning or he is not good at maths, we do not know. But anyway, to carry out successful reforms, the vice premier speaks so much about, Moldova needs honest and high-principled politicians, who at least know the laws of arithmetic. By the way, Moldova's pro-European parties came to power in 2009, and they have not managed to implement their so-called reforms for seven years already. What they have really achieved up to now is that their European partners have curtailed a number of programmes of financial aid to the country, accused the Moldovan political elite of unprecedented corruption and declared that the Moldovan state is taken captive by oligarchs. And what is more, a billion dollars scandalously disappeared for Moldova's banking system. Balan seemingly considers these indicators to evidence «high living standards. If the pro-European reforms in Moldova is continued at such a pace, Pridnestrovians will have to wait too long to become envious of Moldovan citizens' living standards.
However, we have decided to dwell on Mr Balan's statements on quite the other reason. To confuse simple things is a common trait for Moldovan officials.
The fact is that yesterday Russia's deputy minister, Grigory Karasin, paid visits to Pridnestrovie and Moldova. The Russian diplomat met both the leadership of Moldova, including the prime minister, Pavel Filipp — Mr Balan's immediate chief, and Pridnestrovie's officials: President Yevgeniy Shevchuk, the acting foreign minister, Vitaly Ignatyev, the Supreme Council's chairman and people's deputies.
At a news conference following his meeting with Yevgeny Shevchuk Grigory Karasin stated that a lot of problems have amassed over recent years in relations between Moldova and Pridnestrovie, there is no intensive dialogue between the sides, which is necessary for substantive and constructive work.
The Russian deputy minister recalled that the Moldo-Pridnestrovian settlement must exclude any unilateral actions and the sides should make joint decisions at the negotiating table. The diplomat also called on them to abandon a «megaphone» style of negotiating through media outlets. «A success in negotiations depends on both sides' readiness and desire to establish fair and mutually respecting contacts with each other in person, through delegation talks rather than making statements on TV before official announcements about certain decisions," said Grigory Karasin.
On the same day Grigory Balan responded to this appeal, so to speak, in word and deed, by bursting out not only into the above mentioned discussion on Publika. tv about living standards in Moldova and Pridnestrovie, but also into scarcely concealed pleasure that blockade measures imposed against Pridnestrovie by Kiev by agreement with Moldova.
«Russia's crisis and measures taken by Ukraine on the border have dealt a heavy blow to the economy of the separatist republic. Its only chance to survive is trade ties with the Dniester's right bank and the EU," said the vice premier. Thus, as they say, «in surge of passion» the Moldovan publicly admitted that Moldova and Ukraine are coordinating actions aiming to suffocate Pridnestrovie.
The press service of Pridnestrovie's MFA has commented on Mr Balan's statement at the instance of Novosti Pridnestrovya, noting that it is at least improper and perhaps even absurd to link the problem of negotiation process with that of the conduct of some «elusive» reforms in Moldova, recalling EU officials' assessment, mentioned above, of the efficiency of Moldovan authorities.
«Attempts to speculate about the current situation in the negotiation process, linking it to Moldova's domestic reforms and a certain 'standard of living' in Europe's poorest country are ridiculous especially amid evaluations of Moldova made by the secretary general of the Council of Europe, Thorbjørn Jagland, as a 'captive state'," the press service's commentary underscores.
However, according to the MFA, such hysterical and expressly provocative statements by Moldova's political representative are not new.
«It is evidently caused by the dead-lock situation to which Mr Balan is driving himself: Moldova's negotiation team cannot boast of any achievements — they are not ready for a substantive and, what is more, effective dialogue with Pridnestrovie, which is confirmed with a shallow position of the Moldovan side at the level of 1+1 talks and expert working groups," the MFA's press service emphasises.
The foreign ministry has not ignored Mr Balan's words about Ukraine's actions against Pridnestrovie.
«Gheorghe Balan has again confirmed a synchronised and purposeful character of restrictions imposed by Moldova and Ukraine on Pridnestrovie. We believe we should pay more attention to our counterpart's words as one thing is evident: what the official Kishinev has on its mind, Balan has on his tongue," the MFA's press service notes with certain irony.
We can also add that the joy about restrictive and blockade measures taken by Moldova is well coupled with Mr Balan's speculations about living standards in Moldova and Pridnestrovie. The idea is seemingly that if in seven following years Moldova's reforms are as successful as before, Moldova will achieve the necessary difference in living standards by inventing new ways of damaging the PMR's economy.
And while Mr Balan visits Moldovan TV channels and debates «how to settle Moldova», the MFA's press service states that the Pridnestrovian side's fears that this unsound position of Moldova will not allow us to prepare concrete proposals by a visit of mediators and observers scheduled for April are coming true.
It is recalled that within the permanent conference on political issues Russia, Ukraine, the OSCE are mediators; the EU and the US are observers.
Sergey Goncharov
