In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Moldovan authorities continue to heighten tension in relations with Pridnestrovie, in fact, starting media war. This is proved by regular provocation and clumsily executed means of pressure in various fields. Moreover, Chisinau cynically makes its diplomatic and bureaucratic frauds look like concern for Pridnestrovians, which causes even greater rejection. However, the misconception has been widely used by Moldova since the 90s: even then, aggression was called "a way to protect the civilian population" in far-off presidency offices.
Instead of focusing all of their forces on fight against the coronavirus pandemic, the Moldovan authorities are spinning the web of political intrigue against the PMR, which they themselves seem to be trapped in.
Moldova Lost Control
Last Friday, political representative of Moldova Republic, Kristina Lesnik, demanded the convening of an emergency session of the “Permanent Meeting ...” in the 5 + 2 format (Pridnestrovie and Moldova are parties; Russia, Ukraine, the OSCE are mediators, the EU and the US are observers). According to her, this need is due to the fact that Pridnestrovie does allegedly not fight COVID-19 properly. The quarantine measures taken in Pridnestrovie against the spread of infection were considered the so-called "self-isolation" by Lesnik. According to the political representative of the Republic of Moldova, these restrictions only prevent people from traveling to Moldova for medicines, medical care and work. Lesnik also accused the Pridnestrovian leadership of obstructing medical personnel`s movement by business necessity and refusing to participate in health sector working group.
The set of accusations, apparently, is solid, only they all turn out to be untenable and crumble under the influence of facts in reality. The first measures against the spread of coronavirus in Pridnestrovie were taken on January 31: entry into the republic was restricted to citizens from countries where coronavirus infection was recorded. Back then they led to criticism by Chisinau and to perplexity by international partners. However, a month later, there were similar quarantine restrictions introduced almost everywhere in Europe.
Moldova was late with response measures and as a result lost control over the situation: currently, there are about 2 thousand of coronavirus cases in the Republic of Moldova. The level of spread of the disease in the country is alarming: 60 cases per 100 thousand people. In Pridnestrovie, for example, this figure is half as high. So of all countries, should Chisinau really be levelling accusations on casual attitude with regard to pandemic? Or maybe it’s better to adopt the experience already gained by Pridnestrovie, for example, how to protect doctors from infection. Today, Moldova, by the way, is breaking abysmal record for the disease among medical staff: there are already more than 400 people infected.
As regards the activities of Pridnestrovian doctors and medical staff in Moldavian medical institutions, it was Tiraspol that proposed an adequate approach in the current situation to Chisinau: to ensure adequate conditions for health workers` temporary residence in the territory of the Republic of Moldova during quarantine. Such a mechanism, in particular, has been tested in Pridnestrovie in accordance with WHO recommendations. In response, the Moldovan political representative merely declared that “the doctors had largely refused to accept housing because of the indeterminate period of the pandemic in the Republic of Moldova.” And this is not surprising: doctors are now afraid to work in clinics of the Republic of Moldova, where the risk of getting coronavirus is much higher than in Pridnestrovie, as the numbers show.
Moldova Stabs in the Back
Blocking the import of vital medicines in Pridnestrovie by Chisinau should also be discussed with international mediators. The answer, of course, is obvious: it is being done in order to draw the Pridnestrovian economic agents into the rule of law of Moldova with the help of bureaucratic delays. This fits into the strategy of forced “reintegration”, the modeling of which was recently mentioned by Madam Lesnik. The pressure that today is being put on Pridnestrovie contradicts not only agreements of the negotiation process, but also elementary humanitarian principles in a pandemic. But Moldova prefers to again stab in the back. And that is not surprising: in 1992, when Bendery hosted peace negotiations and all roadblocks were dismantled, the Moldovan authorities gave the order to attack the defenseless city. Intergenerational continuity. That's what they call it, isn't it?
Intermediaries can also be told that coronavirus assay samples are sent daily to Chisinau. Therefore, if the political representative of the Republic of Moldova does not have statistics on the number of cases in the PMR, as Lesnik speaks in an appeal to intermediaries, it means that she is not doing her job. Actually, the PMR Ministry of Foreign Affairs also mentioned that in response to the attacks of the Moldovan negotiator: “Statements that talk about Chisinau`s lack of information about the pandemic in Pridnestrovie demonstrate the level of professionalism of Moldova political representative`s office people.”
Perhaps, if it took place in the near future at Lesnik`s request, the meeting in the 5 + 2 format would expose the absurdity and farfetchedness of Chisinau’s accusations. Yet Madam Lesnik knows very well that a meeting of this level is impossible due to quarantine restrictions. For example, Chisinau refused to participate in the expert subgroup on banking for the same reason, motivating the introduction of non-working weeks for all civil servants in Moldova.
It is obvious that the political representative of the Republic of Moldova did not seriously count on the “Permanent Meeting ...” session. For her, it was important only to further denigrate Pridnestrovie, which supposedly “violates”, “limits”, “does not let” Chisinau into all its internal affairs.
Politics on the Tragedy
In Chisinau, they did not miss the tragedy that took place in the PMR army last Saturday. One of the servicemen, through negligence, mortally wounded his fellow officer with military weapon. An investigation is underway that will determine the liability and administer punishment for the defaulter. But in Chisinau they are already trying to make a fuss using this tragedy for utilitarian purposes.
It is typical that there are recruits regularly die in Moldova. Since 2010, there have been recorded more than ten deaths in the armed forces of the Republic of Moldova! But none of the international mediators is poking around trying to figure out why the Moldovan military men die in peacetime: in the end, this is the state’s own business. So Kristina Lesnik’s attempts to somehow convert the tragic incident into her own negotiation leverages are frankly immoral and dishonorable. Although in recent weeks, everyone has probably got used to Moldovan political representative`s lack of principles, who, it seems, has already gone all-in, openly calling on the international community for putting pressure on Pridnestrovie.
Nikolay Syrbu
