​TRANSNISTRIA WANTS TO BE PART TO RM-EU FREE TRADE AGREEMENT

Transnistrian economic operators’ interaction with European Union countries must be prescribed in separate documents, presumes the administration of the unrecognized Transnistrian Moldovan Republic (PMR). This position was presented by PMR deputy prime minister in charge of economic development and finance Maya Parnas in her Wednesday’s meeting with Luc Pierre Devigne, Head of the European Commission’s Unit "Trade aspects of European neighborhood policy. Trade relations with countries of the CIS and Balkans", who is the European Union’s Chief Negotiator on the zone of free trade between EU and Republic of Moldova.

Maya Parnas explained that at the negotiations with the European Union on the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA), Transnistria’s participation was fairly restricted, its interests were not taken into account at preparing the Agreement, and even the word “Transnistria” is not mentioned in the DCFTA text.

Luc Pierre Devigne suggested Tiraspol’s taking part in negotiations on DCFTA implementation. He said, “We can help you to conclude a bargain with us and them, but this needs to be discussed with them as well as with you. If you wish to organize a tripartite meeting, I am ready to propose this to Chisinau”, and reminded that already at the end of 2015, the regime of autonomous trade preferences for Transnistria will be cancelled.

In reply, the Transnistrian deputy prime minister called such dialog as “fairly problematic”.

She said, “Participation in discussing the Agreement on free trade zone will in fact mean that Transnistria is undertaking commitments to be fulfilling it, which is impossible. Tiraspol knows the position of Chisinau, which is not ready to perceive Transnistria as an equal-right partner in the dialog”, and stressed that interaction between Transnistrian economic operators and EU countries should be prescribed in “a separate scenario”.

“And all accords to be reached must be fixed in a document, in which Transnistria would be not an observer, as we were offered, but a party to the document that would have the right to speak out its demands that would be taken into account in that document. The format of further meetings, in which economic conditions and trade relations between Transnistria and the European Union will be considered in the DCFTA context, should be a tripartite one – Transnistria-Moldova-EU”, said the Transnistrian deputy prime minister.

On Wednesday, Luc Pierre Devigne took part in the “Honestly Speaking” live program on the Realitatea TV and said that the Agreement on free trade with the European Union is important for Moldova and will help work out a country development plan.

The EU official thinks that the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan may restrict Moldova’s freedom of signing agreements with other countries, whereas the European Union does not put forth such conditions and stands ready to offer a helping hand to Moldovan economic operators that have fallen victim to the Russian trade embargo.

Moldova is free to sign agreements with any country it wishes, stressed Luc Pierre Devigne.

Moldovan parliamentarian Oleg Reidman of the Communist Party, who also took part in the TV program, criticized the Agreement Moldova has concluded with the European Union, and spoke out for Moldova’s accession to the Customs Union.

“As a matter of fact, Russia has not imposed whatever embargo. These are just certain restrictions, which Moscow had announced to Moldovan producers and exports many months in advance”, said Oleg Reidman.

On which Luc Pierre Devigne remarked that the deputy is confusing friendship with marriage, “whereas the Customs Union is exactly a marriage”.