Tiraspol, 28 June. /Novosti Pridnestrovya/. Signing a twinning agreement is a step towards the recognition of Pridnestrovie, said the chairman of the Pridnestrovian Communist Party, Oleg Khorzhan, during a press conference following his visit to Novosibirsk.
«Let it be only one city today, though a big one. There are more cities to follow tomorrow. This is a very important step towards the recognition of our republic," said the Communist.
According to Oleg Khorzhan, under circumstances where Pridnestrovie cannot establish diplomatic relations with other countries because of its internationally unrecognised status, cooperation at a regional level may be a solution.
During the visit, delegation members held a few meetings with directors of big Novosibirsk enterprises, including retail chains. «This is a huge market for our goods," said Khorzhan. Retailers took interest in purchasing food products grown in Pridnestrovie, as well as the country's alcoholic products.
Besides, Russian investments in the Pridnestrovian economy were also discussed. «We were asked about the establishment of joint ventures processing agricultural products," Pavel Prokudin told journalists.
In addition to the discovery of a new market by Pridnestrovian agricultural enterprises, the agreement opens new possibilities for Pridnestrovie's heavy industry. The director of the Elektromash plant, Vladimir Trandasir, also visited Novosibirsk.
«Today 70% of all Russian oil is extracted in this region, and over 80% of proven gas reserves are also here. And over 80% of the plant's products are specially designed for extracting and processing oil and natural gas," said the director of Elektromash.
According to Trandasir, Elektromash realises a considerable potential of both Novosibirsk city and Novosibirsk Oblast. In this connection, the plant's representative office has renewed its work. This must facilitate the search for new clients and anti-counterfeit measures. According to Trandasir, a lot of fake Eletromash products are sold in Western Siberia.
Besides, signing the twinning agreement may help another Pridnestrovian enterprise, JSC Moldavizolit, to find new market outlets. This plant produces composite boards used by electrotechnical enterprises. Novosibirsk has a considerable number of such plants.
The twinning agreement between Tiraspol and Novosibirsk was signed on 22 June by the mayor of Novosibirsk, Anatoly Lokot, chair of Pridnestrovie's government, Pavel Prokudin, and the head of the Tiraspol Administration, Andrey Bezbabchenko. Signing the agreement was the key event at the Conference of Cities, which took place in Novosibirsk as part of the Peace Forum.
It was initiated by the union of Pridnestrovian deputies «For Unity with Russia». Oleg Khirzhan, who is the union's co-chair, said that the idea of signing this agreement had occurred right after the establishment of the union. Organisational work, preceding the signature, took almost a month.
A Novosibirsk delegation may pay a return visit on 14 October, Tiraspol’s City Day. Andrey Bezbabchenko invited the Novosibirsk leadership to take part in this holiday. Additional documents specifying relations between the two cities in various spheres may be signed by this date.
