The Foreign Ministry of Pridnestrovie celebrated a professional holiday – the Day of the Diplomatic Service Officer today. The extended meeting of the Collegium of the PMR Foreign Ministry by tradition was timed to coincide with this date. Organized in the format of a videoconference the event is of a reporting and planning nature. The results of 2022 have been summed up, and performance targets for 2023 have been outlined. Divided into thematic blocks detailed information, reflecting various areas of Pridnestrovian diplomacy was provided to the President in the form of a detailed report. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic presented for the participants of today's discussion the main information, analysis of the factors influencing the international position of the republic, current challenges, ways to overcome them and possible scenarios for the development of events.
One of the most important components of the work of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic is to ensure the negotiation process with Moldova. Vitaly Ignatiev emphasized today that the regional processes have begun to move, influencing the Moldovan-Pridnestrovian dialogue. He considers that the principle of so-called territorial integrity that Moldovan and some European officials and politicians refer to, is conditional, abstract, outdated and out of touch with reality. The rights and interests of citizens should be at the forefront, the speaker emphasized. Vitaly Ignatiev recalled the circumstances of last year: terrorist attacks, closure of borders, aggravation of logistical and economic restrictions, deliberate stagnation of the negotiation process by Moldova, militarization of the neighboring republic. All these are not random factors, but the negative trends of recent years, part of the systemic work of certain forces, the minister is sure. He said that Chisinau has been sabotaging the work of the “Permanent Conference…” since the end of 2019. There were no meetings of the “5+2” format, despite the efforts made by the Pridnestrovian side. The leadership of Moldova ignores calls, including for the resumption of direct dialogue at the highest level. 9 meetings of political representatives and 17 meetings of expert (working) groups were held during the reporting period, the effectiveness of which is low: the Moldovan participants showed more formalism than a focus on results in relation to the negotiations. Vitaly Ignatiev gave specific examples, mentioning the issue of license plates, the banking issue, and restrictions on imports, including those of socially significant and vital goods. He focused on blockade actions against industrial enterprises. A striking example is the Moldavian Metallurgical Plant. Another problematic area in the realities of 2022 is energy: the gas crisis was provoked by Moldova's failure to fulfill its obligations.
The minister paid special attention in his speech to the most acute problem today – the mass repressions of citizens living in Pridnestrovie conditions creation. We are talking about anti-Pridnestrovian amendments to the Criminal Code of Moldova. Vitaly Ignatiev considers the accepted articles to be exclusively political. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic outlined a variety of situations in which the actions of Pridnestrovians can be interpreted as criminal.
The speaker emphasized that Pridnestrovie uses all available political and diplomatic tools to overcome the stalemate in the negotiations, including resorting to international support. Meetings with the Head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova were held on a regular basis. The OSCE Chairman-in-Office visited Pridnestrovie in the reporting period, his special representative visited the republic three times in a year. It is necessary to state the low effectiveness of the Polish OSCE Chairmanship at the end of the year in the decision to establish an effective dialogue between Pridnestrovie and Moldova. Vitaly Ignatiev focused on attempts to destroy the existing peacekeeping mechanisms and the inclusion of Moldova in the EU plans for military mobility.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic said that political representatives meeting in the "1 + 1" format is scheduled for February 17 this year. Visit to Pridnestrovie by the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Foreign Minister of North Macedonia Bujar Osmani is expected in the near future.
Based on the analysis of the situation, Vitaly Ignatiev voiced the following conclusions: the destructive behavior of Moldova towards Pridnestrovie is not accidental and is of a systemic nature; Chisinau follows a certain scenario, the author of which is not; the goal pursued by Moldova and its curators is to sow panic in the Pridnestrovian society in order to make the people doubt the statehood. There is a lack of independence of Moldova as a subject of international relations.
The interaction of Pridnestrovie with Russia, Ukraine, and the countries of the Caucasus was discussed in the course of the collegiate discussion. The Pridnestrovian-Russian interaction spheres are traditional: social and humanitarian projects, the peacekeeping operation functioning, economic and political-diplomatic cooperation, and the protection of human rights. Vitaly Ignatiev focused on the work of the Official Representation of Pridnestrovie in Moscow. Bilateral contacts with Ukraine have been significantly reduced. Dialogue with Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Artsakh is permanent. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic recalled that the Pridnestrovian-Abkhazian memorandum on cooperation in the field of healthcare and social protection was signed in 2022.
Vitaly Ignatiev concluding his speech expressed gratitude to the personnel of the department headed by him for their service and congratulated his colleagues on their professional holiday.
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to Moldova Oleg Vasnetsov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of South Ossetia Akhsar Dzhioev, Head of the Foreign Ministry of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Sergey Gazaryan took the floor in the course of the meeting of the Collegium of the Foreign Affairs Ministry of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic.
The assessment of the activities of Pridnestrovian diplomacy following the results of 2022 was given by Vadim Krasnoselsky. The PMR President began his speech by stating a significant fact: the current geopolitical turbulence is a continuation of the events associated with the collapse of the Soviet state. It has been stormy for more than three decades at various points. The intensity and duration of the shocks varied. The consequences also varied. According to the President of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, having destroyed the country in the early 90s, people were deprived of their homeland. The desire to destroy the Pridnestrovian statehood is a similar attempt against the Pridnestrovian people. Vadim Krasnoselsky recalled the history of the conflict, drew historical parallels, between which there are three decades. The President said that statehood is a guarantee of observing the rights and freedoms of Pridnestrovians, ensuring peace and security, the violation of which with impunity is aimed at the norms on separatism introduced into the legal field of Moldova. Vadim Krasnoselsky spoke about the inadmissibility of replacing the “5+2” format that implies equality of the parties. Its action is a guarantee of the security of Pridnestrovians. The peacekeeping mission on the banks of the Dniester plays an important role. Pridnestrovie does not allow alternatives to the existing unique mechanism that has been proving its effectiveness for decades. Addressing the Pridnestrovian representation in the Joint Control Commission, Vadim Krasnoselsky urged not to succumb to provocations, to continue work aimed at maintaining peace, to stop any attempts to break the peacekeeping format, discredit peacekeeping and escalate the conflict.
Vadim Krasnoselsky spoke about the national, linguistic, cultural, historical diversity of the Pridnestrovian people, about mutual respect and support. He focused on the need to intensify interaction with countries whose citizens live in Pridnestrovie, strengthen ties so that people do not forget their roots, and assist in providing consular services. The President emphasized the contribution of the diplomatic department to the life of the state in various areas, expressed gratitude to the staff of the Pridnestrovian Foreign Ministry and congratulated everyone involved in the foreign policy service on the holiday.
