Tiraspol, September, 17. /Novosti Pridnestrovya/. According to the press service of the PMR President, Vadim Krasnoselski took the initiative to carry out an international auditing on the banking problem. Closing the accounts of Pridnestrovian enterprises by banks of Moldova was one of the Pridnestrovian Security Council meeting topics.
How It All Started
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the PMR Vitaly Ignatiev reported on the current situation
He recalled that the first facts of the refusal to open accounts for Pridnestrovian business entities were dated June of this year. Then the accounts began to be closed under various pretexts. In early July, Pridnestrovie addressed not only Moldova, but also all participants of the “5 + 2” format, calling for an early search for a solution.
“We also called for intensification of work within the framework of an independent audit of the banking system and enterprises of Pridnestrovie, and also expressed interest in the early start of the work of an international expert invited by the OSCE for activities in the banking sector,” Ignatiev said.
However, according to him, the situation has not only improved, but, on the contrary, has worsened: refusals for Pridnestrovian enterprises are of an avalanche-like nature.
“The Moldovan side refused to acknowledge the existence of this problem. At different levels, we were told that the problem did not exist, that those were decisions of commercial banks of Moldova, and the regulator had nothing to do with it,” the PMR Foreign Minister said.
Addressing International Partners
On September 6, the PMR President sent appeals on the substance of the problem to all mediators and observers in the “5 + 2” format of the negotiation process (Pridnestrovie and Moldova are parties; Russia, Ukraine and the OSCE are mediators; the EU and the US are observers). Corresponding notes were also forwarded to the political representative from the Moldovan side.
“These notes say that the aggravation of the crisis situation may soon lead to a large-scale humanitarian disaster, the closure of production, the loss of jobs and so on. The reason is the inability to fulfill social obligations to the population. We informed the international participants that Pridnestrovie would be forced to respond accordingly in this emergency,” Vitaly Ignatiev said.
RM Recognizes the Problem, but Puts the Blame on its Commercial Banks
September 12, the banking problem was discussed by political representatives of the PMR and the Republic of Moldova. The Moldovan side has publicly acknowledged the existence of the problem, but continues to distance itself from its solution, assigning the responsibility for closing accounts exclusively on commercial banks.
Ignatiev emphasized that accusations against Pridnestrovian economic agents of money laundering and terrorist financing were absolutely groundless.
“Given the fact that Pridnestrovie operates in a special format of trade with the European Union and this format of trade is recognized by international participants as effective and strongly supported by the European side, such accusations have no reason and cause significant resonance,” the PMR Foreign Minister noted.
As a positive point, Vitaly Ignatiev highlighted the fact that the National Bank of Moldova recognized the problem of closing accounts as such and officially stated that it has no complaints against Pridnestrovian enterprises.
The OSCE and the European Commission Will Try to Sort Out the Problem
Ignatiev also noted that the international community was closely monitoring what has been happening.
“The mediator in the person of the OSCE showed great interest in this problem and the desire to solve it, because this problem creates an extremely negative background in the framework of the ongoing negotiation process, and also creates a hypothetical threat to the normal operation of the “5 + 2” format,” Vitaly Ignatiev said.
On September 19, the OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger had scheduled to visit Tiraspol. The banking problem will be discussed at the level of the PMR President. In early October, the representative of the European Commission from the Department for Foreign Trade Petros Surmelis plans to visit Pridnestrovie.
Members of the Security Council of the PMR noted that the issue remained open and was still extremely acute, stressing that it would be considered settled only after the Moldovan side gave clear guarantees for the functioning of the banking system and the unhindered participation of Pridnestrovian entrepreneurs in it.
