Nikita Kondratov, First Pridnestrovian TV channel:
Vadim Nikolaevich, Moldova has been increasing economic pressure on Pridnestrovie since 2019, closing the accounts of our enterprises in Moldovan banks. Customs duties were introduced on January 1 this year. All this is served with the sauce “to create equal conditions for business”, so to speak. How would you comment on this? What conditions does Moldova create? What is “equality”?
Vadim Krasnoselsky, the PMR President:
Indeed, Nikita, I watch the media, I look at the news, comments, and what caught my eye: when correspondents interview Moldovan citizens, some Moldovan citizens either do not know what is happening with regards to Pridnestrovie, or they talk about something that allegedly happened long ago it is necessary to put Pridnestrovian business on equal terms with Moldovan business. We have some kind of preferences apparently. What does this mean? This indicates that Moldova is deceiving its citizens, or simply that Moldovan citizens do not have the information that is actually present in the information field and are not interested in it. I would like to show what is actually happening based on Moldovan legislation. By and large, when Moldova violates our rights, the rights of Pridnestrovian citizens, it violates its fundamental documents - the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and other laws.
I’ll start from the moment when the Pridnestrovian business received a blow. Everyone modestly forgets about this somehow. This is June 2019 – even before the elections of the President of the Republic of Moldova, who is now in power. What did Moldova do then in 2019? Moldova closed our Pridnestrovian enterprises’ bank accounts, including commercial ones in violation of all legal norms, including European ones. They couldn't really explain why. We held negotiations and met several times at the same time. We actually asked for a simple thing: give us an algorithm of what our enterprises must do to register a bank account, what documents to provide, what standards to comply with. They promised – they didn’t do it. The Europeans gave us the opportunity to trade with the EU under the DCFTA formula in 2015-2016 in fact. Everyone knows about this, but the Europeans demanded that our enterprises be registered in Moldova and, accordingly, have bank accounts there at the same time. What is a bank account? This is openness, this is legitimacy, this is transparency and, naturally, the ability to control all these aspects. What did Moldova do? Moldova closed all accounts of our enterprises, almost all of them at least the main one at that time we carried extracts, talked, explained - zero. Again, a simple question: give me the algorithm – what is needed? Do not give. This is how 2019 was spent.
Nikita Kondratov, First Pridnestrovian TV channel:
Well, the reason was called “terrorist financing”...
Vadim Krasnoselsky, the PMR President:
Yes, nonsense. What terrorism when they buy milk, sour cream, eggs - a food set, roughly speaking. What terrorists? That's bullshit. No one even listens to it, to be honest. It's all funny. As for the position of the Europeans, I say: “Gentlemen, you gave us the right to trade, thank you very much, you are proud of it, so you force the Moldovan side to ensure the conditions of DCFTA, you force it, we can’t”. As a result, Moldova actually withdrew from the negotiations and destroyed the “5+2” mechanism. This was October-November 2019. The negotiator was Mr. Shor. He destroyed the “5+2” format. Who was behind this? I don't know, but he is personally responsible for this.
Nikita Kondratov, First Pridnestrovian TV channel:
Maybe it's a coincidence? This was the case in 2006, when an economic blockade was introduced.
Vadim Krasnoselsky, the PMR President:
Yes, that's the story and these are his actions, but I'm talking about 2019. Why didn’t the Moldovan side need the “5+2” format? All these issues, including economics, were on the agenda of this format and were discussed there. Moldova had to explain something there, but it’s difficult, you know? The site is completely different there.
Then the pandemic and other processes began. I’m not talking about the negotiation process. I'm talking about the economy. I naively assumed, I confess, I believed... I always believe, to be honest, I believe people, I believe politicians, but up to a certain point I see an obvious deception, of course. The pandemic was the most difficult time for all humanity. Many states, including European ones, were in panic. You remember all this very well. Of course, we had problems. We solved it on our own. Nobody helped us. Our business, our people, our management, our medical workers solved all these problems by building a vertical administrative management, which, by and large, saved us. People needed treatment, they needed medicine, they needed equipment, special protection.
Ukraine blocked the border that moment at the initial stage, the Ukrainian-Moldavian border was opened only in Palanca. All our suppliers of medical equipment and medicines stood idle on Moldovan territory for up to two months. When I told this to the Red Cross, WHO, and politicians, they didn’t quite believe it. Everything is simple here and elementary. Just look at our history. Ukraine let the goods through customs, thanks to her. There have never been any problems with Ukraine in this regard by the way. She let all our medical cargo through customs, and Moldova blocked it for two months without any reason. People were waiting in hospitals for medical equipment, medicines, and protective equipment. I am convinced that those Moldovan leaders were sure that we would fall into the pandemic, we would ask for help from everyone, anyone, we would almost be ready to enter Moldova to overcome the pandemic. That's what the intent really was. How does is called? This is called blasphemy.
Nikita Kondratov, First Pridnestrovian TV channel:
To Use the pandemic for own political purposes.
Vadim Krasnoselsky, the PMR President:
Absolutely. I am surprised by Moldovan politicians. What do they think, are people stupid or something, don’t people understand how they feel about them? It was 2020. Those people who closed our accounts, who brought down the negotiation process, did this.
Then Ukraine opened Kuchurgan, everything resumed as before. They began to send cargo here. Thank God, I say again, Ukraine did not interfere with us. What happens next? The negotiation process is stagnant, no one is doing this. Naturally, all these circumstances of the external factor the war in Ukraine aggravated the situation. Ukraine blocked the border, our cargo went through Moldova again. Naturally, the Moldovan leaders took advantage of this again, only in different faces.
Nikita Kondratov, First Pridnestrovian:
Faces change, but the policy remains the same.
Vadim Krasnoselsky, the PMR President:
Yes. As for the attitude towards Pridnestrovie, I have not seen politicians in Moldova who were progressive and wanted to solve problems, let’s say, comprehensively, among those who held official positions in this state. There were gleams of light, but this is a ray of light in a dark kingdom, and the rest is as it is. I call a spade a spade. I can prove this to anyone. I do this all the time. All my meetings with our Western delegations begin and end with a discussion of economic problems. I show them in detail what Moldova is violating.
Nikita Kondratov, First Pridnestrovian TV channel:
How do they react to this?
Vadim Krasnoselsky, the PMR President:
So how do they react? They write down, are interested, see, understand what is happening. To be honest, I don’t see any effective results. Maybe material is accumulating, I don’t know. It's hard for me to judge. I have already said that there is no need to act as Moldova’s lawyers, we need to demand the fulfillment of previously reached agreements. I'll talk about this a little later.
The next step is to block the export of our enterprises. This is August last year. Three enterprises: Elektromash, Moldavizolit, and Potential in Bendery.
Approximately 1300 workers work at these enterprises. What did Moldova do? Moldova, based on Government Resolution No. 606 of May 15, 2002 “On the national system of control of export, re-export, import, transit of strategic goods of the Republic of Moldova”, recognized the products of these enterprises as dual-use goods. If these goods are dual-use, then a commission must meet and give permission. What is the trick: what these enterprises produce does not include these products in this resolution. So cynical. The managers, referring to the regulatory act, say that the conventional electric motor is a dual-use product, but this product does not exist. Do you understand what the nuance is? No commissions were gathered in this case. The commission did not meet in March. There was a meeting in February, but the meeting did not end with anything. Our enterprises, which produce absolutely peaceful products, cannot export them to both the EU and CIS countries as a result. Do you understand? Where is the equal opportunity?
I understand that Moldova doesn’t have a headache about this, they don’t have such enterprises. They missed everything, they buried all the inheritance left from the Soviet Union. They do not have such industrial giants as we do. We saved it, we are working on it.
Nikita Kondratov, First Pridnestrovian TV channel:
It seems like envy. There were photographs in which what used to be the largest microelectronics enterprise is now in ruins. It seems that they now want to do the same with the Elektromash and Moldavizolit plants.
Vadim Krasnoselsky, the PMR President:
There is envy, a desire to hurt us, a desire to bring down enterprises, a desire to leave people without work, but people see everything and draw conclusions.
A product item such as electric motors is not a dual-use product anywhere in the world. Moldova is ahead of the rest as usual – the law on separatism, there is no such thing anywhere, and the engine is recognized as a dual-use product. There is only one intent - blocking enterprises. Both “Potential” and “Moldavizolit” practically suspended their activities last year as a result, and this year the “Elektromash” enterprise is going into forced downtime. There are no clear written answers. Elektromash sent twenty requests to the leadership of Moldova. Twenty. Even if there is some kind of answer, it is formal and does not say anything. They do not fulfill their functions, violate their legislation, and do not create commissions. They simply destroy our entrepreneurial activity, destroy our industry. It is a fact.
The next point is the duties introduced from the beginning of January of this year, the so-called double taxation. Where are the equal opportunities, gentlemen Europeans? Is this European? The European way is to shut down factories, the European way is to refuse to register our bank accounts, the European way is to introduce double taxes?
I remind you once again: Moldova does not pay pensions, salaries, or other social benefits to Pridnestrovians. Only the Pridnestrovian budget pays. We provide for our people. Half a million citizens live here, and we provide everything. How can we be different? These half a million see the results of your activities. See those who need medical care. The issue of supplying X-ray equipment to Pridnestrovie has not yet been resolved. What are the excuses? They don’t like that the hospital is called “Republican”. Okay, what is the reason for the refusal of the Dniester sanatorium in Kamenka then?
Nikita Kondratov, First Pridnestrovian TV channel:
They use the excuse that this is "Republican hospital"?
Vadim Krasnoselsky, the PMR President:
Do you understand? How can you speak? What can you negotiate? What are they thinking about, these leaders in Moldova? How can you mock the Pridnestrovian people? These are the Romanian people, according to Mr. Serebryan. This is the next topic for conversation.
Nikita Kondratov, First Pridnestrovian TV channel:
He calls all this positive discrimination.
Vadim Krasnoselsky, the PMR President:
Yes, positive discrimination. He chose such good words. Do you understand? He figured it out, surprises the whole world. Well, we somehow got used to it: they are aggressors, really aggressors, aggressors against our economy. You can't do that. The people see and evaluate. How can you negotiate? If we talk not only about Moldovan regulatory documents, we can identify others. The nuance is that a number of documents have been signed between Moldova and Pridnestrovie. These documents concern economic activity. For example, the Agreement on the Maintenance of Peace and Security Guarantees of July 5, 1995, by which the parties undertake not to exert political, economic or other forms of pressure on each other. It is completely broken. Protocol decision to resolve emerging problems in the activities of the customs services of Moldova and Pridnestrovie dated February 7, 1996 not fulfilled. One of the most important documents is the Moscow Memorandum of May 7, 1997, which established the right of Pridnestrovie to independently establish and maintain international contacts in the economic field. This is completely broken. It was signed by the presidents of Moldova and Pridnestrovie in addition, the basic provisions of the Berlin Protocol of June 2-3, 2016 in the “5+2” format, which was also determined for the sake of economic activity, are violated. Other international treaties, both global and European, are also being violated, with regard to free economic activity. I have already said that, of course, thanks to the Europeans. Well done, they gave us the opportunity to trade with Europe, but demand basic execution from Moldova to ensure this activity.
Nikita Kondratov, First Pridnestrovian TV channel:
They silently observe what is happening.
Vadim Krasnoselsky, the PMR President:
Yes, they silently watch what is happening. As for equal opportunities, Moldovan politicians say: “If you have goods from Europe or the CIS, they are not subject to duties”. That's a lie. Which part is a lie? Of course, they, are not subject to duties if there is a Euro-1 or ST-1 certificate, that is, European or CIS countries, but there is a small nuance. This certificate can be issued by those enterprises that have an account in a Moldovan bank. But there are no accounts. Therefore, our entrepreneurs pay duties on all European goods and on those goods that come from the CIS countries. Is this normal, gentlemen Europeans? Is this European? Is this democratic? That’s a question for you. Please, answer it. Definitely, I will demand an answer to this question in all subsequent meetings – why is this happening? Why are 500 thousand residents of Pridnestrovie not interesting to anyone? This is not possible, this is geographically the center of Europe, please note. The same people live here, they go to school, kindergarten, teach children, treat people, receive pensions and benefits, salaries, etc., they need basic medicine and food. What are you doing? What's happening to you? A painful issue that needs to be addressed, but where are the solutions? The “5+2” format is zero, it doesn’t work. Meetings of political representatives are all an imitation. In fact, Moldova does not make any decisions. Everything else is promises, there is no point.
Nikita Kondratov, First Pridnestrovian TV channel:
What is called “equal opportunities” in Moldova, we see that enterprises are going into downtime in reality, some areas of business are already closing due to these double duties. Pridnestrovie pays pensions and salaries, but Moldova takes these same duties from our budget, takes money into its budget. Nobody wants to have a dialogue, there is no answer, no one hears us - that’s the feeling. What to do?
Vadim Krasnoselsky, the PMR President:
Don't despair, of course. We must demand, we must prove, we must prove with reason, as I do. Some processes are underway, and at any site this must be brought to the attention of everyone and rely on common sense in any case; there are no other options in principle. We must rely on ourselves to continue the negotiation process. We have never stagnated in any case, we have never left anything and we are always committed to continuing the dialogue. Someone is interested in completing this dialogue. I even know who.
Nikita Kondratov, First Pridnestrovian TV channel:
I think everyone knows, or at least guesses.
Vadim Krasnoselsky, the PMR President:
As for political negotiations, status options, etc. – we’ll talk about this next time.
