TIRASPOL LEADER SAYS HE CANNOT SEE ANY MECHANISMS FOR RESOLVING “MOLDOVA-TRANSNISTRIA PROBLEM”

Vadim Krasnoselsky, the president of the unrecognized Transnistrian Moldovan Republic [PMR], says he just cannot see “whatever means or methods with which we could approach to a political settlement of the Moldova-Transnistria problem”. According to the Transnistrian presidential press service, Krasnoselsky stated this to Moldovan President Igor Dodon during their Thursday’s meeting held in the Condrita presidential residence.

According to the press service, the Tiraspol leader reminded to Dodon that “Transnistria has a political status of its own, has its own independence, and the opinion of the Transnistrian people, which cannot be challenged by anybody”.

Krasnoselsky presumes that his next meeting with President Dodon will take place yet before the end of the current year.

“There are no objections concerning such a meeting. We will work out an agenda all right. Agenda questions need to remain under our control. The chief thing is dialog. Without it there can be no movement forward. I guess a new meeting will be not long to wait”, said Vadim Krasnoselsky.

Touching on the perspectives of the development of economic relations between “the PMR and the RM”, he said Tiraspol is counting on Moldovan consumers’ interest to receive Transnistria-made produce.

“We really have things to offer to any country. We run trade with 90 states. Our economy is developing, demonstrating a steady, serious growth of economic activity. We want to offer our goods to Moldova citizens and the Moldova market as a whole – the products of our light and food industries, of electronic engineering and other. We are interesting economic partners. We welcome the development of trade relations between the right and left Dniester River sides”, said Vadim Krasnoselsky.

The Tiraspol leader welcomed the appointment of Dmitry Kozak as the new Special Representative of Russian President Vladimir Putin for the development of trade and economic relations with the Republic of Moldova, in a belief that this will serve to the good of the Moldova-Transnistria relations.

“Kozak is an experienced politician. I think he will bring much use. As for the political settlement, so far I cannot see either means or methods even for approaching to it. So I suggest solving humanitarian, cultural, economic questions. At the moment, nobody is ready for political things – neither Moldova nor Transnistria or the rest players in the 5+2 negotiating format”, said the Transnistrian leader.

Krasnoselsky once again named as successful the ongoing [since 1992] peacekeeping operation on the Dniester, stressing that there can be no questions concerning the operation’s expediency, “so it must be continued”.

“Besides Russian peacekeepers, the operation involves also peacekeepers from Transnistria and Moldova, and Ukrainian observers. This is an important mechanism, and it would be just impermissible to ruin it under whatever pretext, for this would lead to escalation of the conflict and to very negative consequences. I am happy that we share a common stance on preserving the current peacekeeping”, said Vadim Krasnoselsky, recognizing that the Sides have differing positions on the Operational Group of Russian Forces (OGRV) deployed in Transnistria.

“To us, this is one and the same. I don’t divide the OGRV from the Russian peacekeepers. Moldova seems to have a different understanding of the question. Hence is the absence of a consensus here”, said the Tiraspol leader.