Tiraspol, 13 February. /Novosti Pridnestrovya/. Kishinev is continuing to take anti-Russian steps, which not only leads to the deterioration of relations between Moldova and Russia but can also have a negative impact on Pridnestrovie. This was stated by President Vadim Krasnoselsky during a meeting with internationalist soldiers, commenting on the situation in the negotiation process and the political situation in Moldova.
"We must clearly understand who is playing in whose favour, and what is happening in the neighbouring state. As I see it: certain pro-Western forces are aggravating the situation between Moldova and the Russian Federation. Mr Dodon discredits Pridnestrovie in Russia's eyes, accusing it of embezzlement, thefts, oligarchic regime and other deadly sins. And in general, it turns out that they are fulfilling a task of severing ties with Russia of both Moldova and Pridnestrovie," said Vadim Krasnoselsky.
They also discussed the current status of the dialogue between Kishinev and Tiraspol. Vadim Krasnoselsky recalled that in November 2017 the parties had signed five framework agreements concerning the opening of the traffic on the bridge over the Dniester near the villages of Bychok and Gura Bicului, land use in the Dubossary district, the functioning of Romanian language schools, the apostille verification of Pridnestrovie-issued university diplomas, as well as telecommunication.
The president noted, in the meantime, that individual Moldovan politicians were trying to write down negotiation achievements on their own account.
"After the election of the [Moldovan] president, I immediately took the initiative to resolve a number of urgent issues: land, schools, license plates, diplomas, railway, criminal cases. On 4 January, last year, I met Moldovan President Igor Dodon, outlined those problems and gave him a list of the issues that we can address. Igor Nikolayevich said that he would prepare the questions on his part, and at the following meeting on 30 March all issues from both sides were formalised. It was possible to call the '5 +2' format and make decisions on them not in October or November, when allegedly 'the oligarchs agreed', but back in late March or early April," stressed Vadim Krasnoselsky.
The president added that he also proposed Igor Dodon to sign a joint appeal to OSCE Chairman-in-Office Sebastian Kurtz - the head of state believes the joint initiative of the presidents of the conflicting parties to organise a "Permanent Conference..." meeting would have received a proper response from the Austrian chairmanship and negotiations would have been held with the agenda that was proposed.
"We prepared two appeals - in Russian and English, and I handed them to Igor Dodon. At first, he positively assessed this step, and then took a day to think the text over, which turned into eight months. At the same time, Igor Nikolayevich did not answer any of my five written appeals - he evaded the answer and did it repeatedly. And I asked him only one question: 'Are you ready for the negotiations, dear Igor Nikolayevich, or are you not?'," said the president. According to him, the Moldovan president, through his passive position, personally shifted responsibility for resolving the problems in the negotiations with the PMR to the Moldovan government, which through its representative conducts an official dialogue with Pridnestrovie.
"We do not avoid talking to Igor Dodon or any other politicians who have a real agenda. And the issue does not lie in us but in Igor Nikolayevich, who intentionally evaded responsibility and further dialogue in principle. And it is natural that those agreements that have been achieved have nothing to do personally with him. All this is the result of the complex work of real experts - the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and experts from different departments, and, of course, the president of Pridnestrovie," the head of state stressed.
Vadim Krasnoselsky also recalled that the further steps of the Moldovan president had not gone unnoticed in Pridnestrovie. "Igor Dodon supported the opening of joint posts on the Moldovan-Ukrainian border, saying that a common state should have common borders. We have no common state and no common borders. Here is the problem. The fact that this is a gross violation of previously reached agreements, including those made in the '5 +2' format, is for some reason modestly silenced" said the president.
What Moldovan politicians will do this year remains to be seen. The 2018 talks agenda still includes such items as the opening of correspondent accounts for Pridnestrovian businesses with international banks, the unfreezing of the Slobodka railway station, the termination of politically motivated criminal cases, resolving the problem of the participation of Pridnestroviasn motor vehicles in international traffic. By the way, Tiraspol and Kishinev agreed in Vienna, at a meeting in the "5 +2" format, to work out a solution to the latter issue.
It should be noted that last year the parties failed to develop a consolidated position on this issue, and the president explained the reason.
"There is a provision that says that we are obliged to raise excise duties in Pridnestrovie, that is, customs clearance of vehicles up to Moldova's level and prohibit the entry of vehicles older than 10 years to the PMR. Is it acceptable for us? It isn't. Generally speaking, if this provision persists, our dialogue will be over," the president noted and stressed that the decision would only be made, bearing in mind the interests of Pridnestrovians.
Currently, the political representatives of the parties and expert (working) groups are actively engaged in the search for a solution to the licence number issue.
