PRESIDENT IGOR DODON BELIEVES TRANSNISTRIAN PROBLEM IS SOLUBLE BUT NOT SOON

Moldovan President Igor Dodon has once again expressed confidence that the Transnistrian problem is soluble but a solution will take time to achieve, he said to Odnoklassniki users on Tuesday night.

“This will be impossible to achieve this or next year. We have proposals and variants, but the incumbent Parliament and Government will not permit to do this. We should continue our movement towards a solution, and after the 2018 parliamentary election we should embark on resolving this problem in earnest”, said Igor Dodon.

In his words, some politicians in Chisinau, Tiraspol and other cities are disinterested in settling the Transnistrian conflict because this goes contrary to their selfish interests.

“A conflict resolution is disadvantageous also to the supporters of Moldova’s unification with Romania and to the advocates of Moldova’s accession to NATO and to certain business circles. The latter ones have got used to settling their things in the absence of transparency. But their time is approaching an end”, said Dodon.

He expressed confidence that after the presidential election in Russia next March and after the parliamentary election in Moldova in late 2018 it will be possible to advance in the Transnistrian conflict settlement work. In his opinion, it is very important that in the conflict between the mainland Moldova and the Transnistrian region there are no such grave problems as in other countries. Here, people are not enemies to one another, and they communicate, he said.

Asked why he does not go to Transnistria, Igor Dodon replied that for this, it is necessary to submit a written application to Transnistrian authorities one month in advance.

“Yes, they have introduced such rules, though Transnistrian officials go to Chisinau absolutely freely and at any time. They don’t have to write applications for this. I would like to ask Tiraspol: why can’t we come to the left river bank freely? Are you so much afraid of us? I would like to come to Transnistria just as a simple visitor, to communicate with local residents – in any populated area”, said Igor Dodon.

The President announced that the so-called “public reception rooms” will be opened shortly for Transnistria residents, and that he is going to hold regular meetings with visitors from Transnistria in such offices starting from next year. Dodon also voiced hope for holding regular meetings with the leadership of Transnistria, including with Transnistria president Vadim Krasnoselsky.

“He phoned me last March-April, asking to help solve the question of electricity purchasing. We have resolved that question, but haven’t talked since then. But I am ready to be helpful at any time. I can hear sayings that some Transnistrian officials do not wish to communicate with Igor Dodon because he has no actual plenary powers and that they want to speak to Vlad Plahotniuc [the chief Moldovan oligarch and leader of the ruling Democratic Party] because Plahotniuc has real powers for solving things [that was what Vadim Krasnoselsky actually stated]. Such a stance is clear to me. Well, to solve smuggling issues is a question not to me. But I am ready to discuss the country’s future”, said President Igor Dodon.