Monitoring→Politics→Transnistrian Conflict

Republic of Moldova, the international community will not recognize the Transnistrian referendum

On 28 July the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova adopted an official Declaration in which it condemned the intention of the Transnistrian authorities to hold in the autumn of 2006 a referendum regarding the independence of the region. According to the text of the Declaration, the referendum cannot be an expression of the free will of people, as it runs in breach of both the Moldovan Constitution and the international law. The Moldovan deputies expressed their conviction that the Transnistrian conflict can only be solved by peaceful means, through a genuine democratization of the political and socio-economic life of the region.

The Declaration calls upon the international community to support the efforts of the Moldovan authorities towards territorial reintegration, European integration, permanent neutrality and non-adherence to any military blocks. The Tiraspol administration will be held responsible for whatever consequences of the so-called referendum, whose results will not recognized by the international community, the Declaration reads.

Earlier, at the 18 July meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council, the European Union, USA, GUAM states and Moldova condemned the intention of the Tiraspol authorities to hold a referendum. According to a communique of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, the EU has disapproved of the unilateral decision of Transnistrian leaders, which will only complicate the conflict settlement process. The EU called upon Tiraspol to adopt a constructive attitude and return without delay to the “5+2” negotiation process. In their turn, the US qualified the intentions of Tiraspol authorities as unserious, and asked Russia to denounce the so-called referendum if it wants to be regarded as a neutral mediator in the Transnistrian conflict. At the same time, the US called upon the Russian Federation to withdraw its troops and weapons from Transnistria, in order to fulfill its 1999 Istanbul commitments.

The OSCE Chairman in Office, Belgian Foreign Minster, Karel de Gucht, also expressed his disagreement with Tiraspol’s intention to hold a referendum. According to a communique of the OSCE Mission to Moldova, De Gught said that the OSCE will not support and will not monitor a referendum that questions the territorial integrity of Moldova. On the other hand, the European official added, the holding of a referendum in Transnistria will be possible only after such a decision is reached at the negotiations table and the necessary conditions are set into place for the vote to be free and fair.

On the other hand, according to news agency Info Prim Neo, which makes reference to international press, the Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the OSCE, Alexei Borodavkin, stated that Russia did not agree to statements that the planned referendum is “provoking” and “unserious”. According to the Russian official, this measure needs to be regarded as a response to the latest developments in the Transnistrian issue. Earlier, the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Russian State Duma, Konstantin Kosaciov, stated in Moscow that “one will not be able to dispute the legitimacy of the referendum should it be held in a transparent and democratic method”, noting that Russian observers will monitor the electoral process in Transnistria, regardless of the opinion of Chisinau or the West.

The US support the territorial integrity of Moldova

President Vladimir Voronin met on 26 July in Chisinau with the Assistant of the US Secretary of State, David Kramer, with whom he discussed, among other things, the Transnistrian problem. According to the presidential press services, the two discussed the efforts towards internationalization of the Transnistrian conflict settlement, noting that this is a “success of both sides”. David Kramer reconfirmed that the US will not recognize the referendum regarding Transnistria’s relations with Russia and Moldova and that the EU Member States will not send observers.

It is worth noting that during his second visit to Washington, Romanian President Traian Basescu discussed the Transnistrian conflict with US President George W. Bush during a meeting on 27 July. According to Info Prim Neo, which makes reference to international press, after the private discussions at the Oval Office in the White House with his Romanian counterpart, Bush stated with reference to the Black See area: “We discussed about Romania’s neighbouring region and we gave assurance that the position of the US regarding Moldova is that of supporting the territorial integrity of Moldova”. In his turn, Traian Basescu mentioned the need to isolate the internal processes in Moldova from external influences. The interlocutors expressed a common point of view regarding the negative influence of the Russian military presence in the Transnistrian region.

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