On February 8, the Supreme Council of the PMR will examine the application of the "law on separatism"

Tiraspol, Feb.7 / Novosti Pridnestrovya /. Tomorrow, February 8, the Supreme Council of Pridnestrovie plans to adopt a statement because the Moldovan Parliament approved the so-called law on separatism in the final reading. The statement will be sent to all participants of the 5+2 negotiation format and international organizations.
Today the draft document was examined by the Commission on Foreign Policy of the Supreme Council and International Relations.
Recall that the “law on separatism” is an amendment to the Criminal Code of the Republic of Moldova, that introduces new articles and concepts, such as: “anti-constitutional subject”, “illegal information structure”, “separatism”, “conspiracy against Moldova”. They create the basis for the criminal prosecution of almost every Pridnestrovian.
“Our hopes that reason would prevail [and the law would not be adopted in the second reading] were not justified. And we are concerned about how it will be applied to the people of Pridnestrovie,” said Galina Antyufeeva, Vice Speaker of the Supreme Council today.
Commenting on the results of the meeting of the Commission on Foreign Policy, she stressed that the Supreme Council in the current situation "cannot stand aside." “Together with the President and the Government, we are obliged to protect the rights and freedoms of our citizens, the right to live freely and prosperously on their land,” said the Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Council.
She expressed hope that the international mediators would help to resume the negotiation process both in the "5+2" and "1+1" formats, that is, at the level of the presidents and, possibly, the parliaments of Pridnestrovie and Moldova. The Vice Speaker of the Supreme Council once again called on the Moldovan side to resolve all issues peacefully, at the negotiating table.
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the PMR Vitaly Ignatiev described the current situation in the negotiation process between Tiraspol and Chisinau, including in the light of the adoption of the "law on separatism". According to him, the Moldovan side is striving to apply pressure measures against Pridnestrovie more often and harder. Under these conditions, both politico-diplomatic and parliamentary methods must be used for protection.
Vitaly Ignatiev drew attention to the fact that after the adoption of the “law on separatism”, the rhetoric of both the representatives of the authorities of the Republic of Moldova and individual Moldovan experts became even more aggressive towards the PMR”. “To intimidate Pridnestrovie a certain informational pressure is being created,” the Minister of Foreign Affairs stated.
According to him, “Moldova is embarrassed to say that it is officially withdrawing from the negotiation process, but de facto it has not participated in a constructive dialogue for more than three years and has not fulfilled its obligations.” The introduction of the current amendments to the Criminal Code itself shows that Chisinau is hardly ready for constructive interaction with Pridnestrovie.
From the point of view of international law, any negotiations under pressure are void, their results are invalid, Vitaly Ignatiev stressed.
“The fact that the “law on separatism” is a threat to the negotiation process is recognized even by the representatives of the Moldovan parliament. We are talking about the escalation of tension between the PMR and the RM. And it is very important that international mediators show their position,” the Minister of Foreign Affairs believes.
A visit by the current chairmanship of North Macedonia in the OSCE to the region is expected next week, he said. “I think that this meeting will be of great importance to normalize the dialogue [between Pridnestrovie and Moldova],” Vitaly Ignatiev noted, recalling that “all external participants in the negotiations officially declare that they are for peace, against escalation".