Transnistrian Conflict on October 18–31, 2004

After the resolution, although incomplete, of the issue of Moldovan Latin script schools from the Transnistrian region, the tensions between the Moldovan and Transnistrian sides re-erupted on 15 October, when the Transnistrian administration installed a permanent check point between Severnii district of Tighina town and Varnita village, and another one between Severnii district and Tighina town. The two check points replaced mobile customs points mobilized in June 2004. The Varnita village, situated on the left bank of Nistru River, but under the jurisdiction of the Moldovan Government, is located in the security area, where, according to the ceasefire agreement of 1992, no paramilitary forces may be deployed and all move should be coordinated with the United Commandment of the Peacekeeping Forces. In protest, dozens of villagers blocked from 17 October with concrete barrages the Chisinau-Tighina highway that passes by the village. Russian peacekeepers removed the barrages on 19 October without authorisation from the United Commandment and without removing the Transnistrian checkpoints. At the Joint Control Commission on 22 October, the Transnistrian side accepted to withdraw its two checkpoints on the condition that the Moldovan side withdraws its fiscal checkpoint set at the entry into Varnita in June 2004. For some time now, the Transnistrian customs officials and border guards have constantly intimidating the inhabitants of Varnita village by subjecting them to various unmotivated checks and duties.

In the meantime, the European Union offered its support for resolving the border problems between the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, according to a press communique of the Moldovan Foreign Ministry of 18 October. According to the communique, during the trilateral EU- Republic of Moldova — Ukraine consultations on 15 October, the EU offered to support the implementation of agreements between Chisinau and Kiev on setting up joint customs checkpoints on the Transnistrian segment of the Moldovan-Ukrainian border. In addition, the EU will provide financial assistance to the Moldovan customs services, including for training programmes and for equipment, and has shown ready to fund a computerised system of exchanging information between Moldovan and Ukrainian customs.

On the other hand, Moldovan media have reported that the EU and the US intend to sign a Declaration on the Stability and Security of the Republic of Moldova at the OSCE Ministerial Summit to be held in early December in Sofia. According to a presidential press communique, quoted by Moldavskie Vedomosti, the US Ambassador to Moldova, Heather Hodges, stated during a meeting with President Voronin on 28 October that both the US and the EU see the Declaration as a potential mechanism of consolidating security in the region. In June 2004, President Voronin proposed to the US, EU, Russian Federation, Ukraine and Romania to sign a Pact of Stability and Security for the Republic of Moldova, whereby the signatory states would agree to coordinate their actions with regard to the Republic of Moldova, including the Transnistrian conflict. According to observers, if the US and the EU sign the Declaration, Romania is very likely to sign it too, and it is only up to Russia and Ukraine to take an official stand on the document.

In the view of the special representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Igor Savolski, though, who visited Moldova on 25 and 26 October together with the Moscow’s representative to the Transnistrian conflict resolution talks, Valeri Nesteruskin, the initiative regarding the Pact is still in the phase of consultations and is not even directly related to the Transnistrian problem. The two Russian officials, who came to Chisinau to encourage the Moldovan and Transnistrian sides to resume the talks, said instead that to Russia the strategic partnership with Moldova is “an enduring option” and that “for overcoming possible problems, coordinated actions and a permanent dialogue” are necessary, informs Basa-press. At the end of the visit, the two dignitaries said that the five-sided negotiations format is functional and there is no other format, but have not given a definite answer as to the readiness of the Moldovan Government to resume its participation in the talks in this format.

The position of the official Chisinau regarding the inefficiency of the current negotiations format and the need to change it was reiterated by the Moldovan Foreign Minister, Andrei Stratan, during a press conference on 25 October. The same position was vociferated by the Deputy Speaker of the Moldovan Parliament, Vadim Misin, who suggested at a press conference on 28 October that since the five-sided format has not led to any result, it has to be changed by 1 January 2005, according to the principles of “a single and integrated territory, a single customs, banking, monetary and defence space” and without the participation of the break away leader Igor Smirnov.

While the prospects for the resumption of talks between Chisinau and Tiraspol remain uncertain, the Supreme Soviet in Tiraspol adopted on 27 October, in the final reading, amendments to the privatisation programme of Transnistria for 2001–2004, which was completed with several dozens enterprises, including two of the largest Transnistrian enterprises — the textiles factory “Tirotex” and the Brandy making company “Kvint”. The amendments were proposed by the Transnistrian “minister of education” in September, which she motivated by the “difficult political and economic situation caused by the sanctioned imposed by the Moldovan Government on Transnistria”. According to the Transnistrian official news agency Olvia-press, already a number of applications for participation in the privatisation of “Tirotex” factory have been submitted to the Transnistrian “economy ministry” by several Russian and one Dutch firms. The two enterprises are to be privatised by the end of 2004, despite the Law on the Privatisation on the left bank of Nistru River and in the Tighina town adopted earlier by the Moldovan Parliament and which provides that all Transnistrian businesses will pass from 1 January 2005 into the ownership of their employees free of charge.

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Transnistrian Conflict on October 18–31, 2004

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