Vitaly Ignatiev: "Law on separatism" remains a very acute problem

Tiraspol, February 17. /Novosti Pridnestrovya /. The political representative of Moldova, Oleg Serebrian, could not give guarantees that the Pridnestrovian negotiators would not be detained in Chisinau according to the “law on separatism”. Representatives of the OSCE also cannot guarantee anything.
It was announced to reporters by Vitaly Ignatiev, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Pridnestrovie, following the results of today's meeting of political representatives of the PMR and the Republic of Moldova in Tiraspol.
“There was Mr. Serebrian’s attempt to say that this law would not be applied against Pridnestrovians, but it was extremely unconvincing. I quoted a representative of the Information and Security Service of Moldova, who said [during the hearings on the “law on separatism”] that any member of the PMR Government, any employee of the authorities, a deputy of Pridnestrovie can be subjected to repression,” Ignatiev said.
“The SIS of Moldova declares that everyone will be arrested, while Mr. Serebrian says the opposite. Well, to be honest, this is unconvincing,” the head of the PMR Ministry of Foreign Affairs added, emphasizing that the political representative of Moldova could not give answers to questions that related to the “law on separatism” today.
“This problem is very acute and serious, it requires a very serious influence at the political level to prevent a catastrophe, violation of the rights and freedoms of Pridnestrovians,” Vitaly Ignatiev summed up.
Oleg Serebrian himself, who was also asked by journalists to comment on the situation, mostly repeated what the Moldovan side had already stated earlier: the amendments to the Criminal Code adopted in the Republic of Moldova are not an obstacle to the negotiation process between Tiraspol and Chisinau.
He also said that the "law on separatism" does not threaten journalists, since they "enjoy the freedom of speech." However, the political representative of Moldova did not give such guarantees to the authorities of Pridnestrovie. “It depends on what kind of authorities it is,” he said.
Recall that the so-called “law on separatism” was adopted by the Moldovan Parliament in the final reading on February 2. In the Criminal Code of the Republic of Moldova, in particular, such articles as “conspiracy against Moldova” and “separatism” were introduced, providing punishment of up to 12 years in prison. During the preliminary hearings, representatives of the Moldovan special services directly noted that the amendments would concern Pridnestrovie.