Monitoring→Politics→Transnistrian Conflict

President Voronin makes a series of statements on Transnistria

During the period covered here President Vladimir Voronin made a series of statements on the Transnistrian settlement process within a press-conference and an ample interview with NIT TV Station. The main theses that President Voronin put forward in his statements could be summed up as follows:

• There is no secret plan being discussed with Russia, but just a package of proposals which Moldova wants to agree with Russia and then propose it to the “5+2” format, which remains the only mechanism for identifying solutions to the Transnistrian conflict. Moldova is talking to all partners in the “5+2” format, not just Russia, and has discussed its proposals with all of them;;
• Moldova’s proposals are in full compliance with the 2005 Law on the basic principles of the status of Transnistria. On the basis of this Law, a blueprint of the Law on the status of Transnistrian will be drafted, that will be presented to the “5+2” format and, if approved, will be subject to vote in the Moldovan Parliament;
• Russia is “very constructive” and President Putin is willing to help Moldova solve the Transnistrian conflict. Even on the thorny issue of the peacekeeping mechanism, which Moldova wants to transform into a mission of civilian observers, Russia is being “constructive”(In a recent communique from the Russian Foreign Ministry the peace keeping mechanism in Transnistria was named as “one of the most successful and effective in the history of peacekeeping”; such a positive assessment of the current peace keeping mechanism does not indicate an intention to change its format);
• The withdrawal of Russian troops and munitions from Transnistria is a precondition for any settlement solution.
• Moldovan Government is estimating the “cost of reintegration” and has created a special working group under the office of First Deputy Prime Minister Zinaida Grecianii which also includes European experts.

A recurring theme in President Voronin’s statements on Transnistria has been a series of charges against the opposition parties of having compromised the political consensus on the Transnistrian settlement and of opposing an eventual settlement for fears of losing “their personal, political and patrimonial welfare”.

It is worth noting that in an interview with Radio Free Europe the US Ambassador to Moldova, Michael Kirby, noted that although it is necessary for Moldova to talk to Russia about the Transnistrian settlement, Moldova should also talk to other partners in the “5+2” format, which remains the best format for discussing any solutions. Ambassador Kirby invoked the precedent of the so-called Kozak Memorandum, which could have undermined the territorial integrity of Moldova, and said that in the context of the intense Moldovan-Russian talks in the past months US wanted to know what was happening. “There was a huge tempest, but it is not clear if it was a tempest or a tempest in a teapot”, the US diplomat said referring to those talks.

Transnistrian exports to the EU on rise

According to a communique released by the Ministry of Reintegration, 70 Transnistrian businesses registered with the Moldovan State Registration Chamber in the first half of 2007. This has brought to 338 the number of Transnistrian businesses registered permanently or temporarily with the Moldovan authorities to date. Of these, 45 economic agents registered after the adoption of Government Decision no. 301 on 17 March 2007, whereby both permanent and provisional registration with the Moldovan authorities gets Transnistrian business access to trade preferences enjoyed by Moldova as part of its GSP+ agreement with the EU. In January — June 2007, Moldovan Customs Service issued 635 preferential certificates of origin to 17 Transnistrian businesses for exports to the EU. Transnistrian exports to the EU have increased by 17.4 % compared to 2005 and the EU has ranked second after the CIS as the final destination of Transnistrian exports (37%).

Overall Transnistrian exports in the first half of 2007 were twice as much as in the same period of 2006. Steel and light industry products accounted for most of the region’s exports. The Moldova Trade and Industry Chamber issued 3,386 certificates of origin for Transnistrian produced export items in the first half of 2007, which is 37% more than in 2006.

Economic analysts have explained this growth in Transnistrian exports to the EU by the fact that Romania, traditionally one of the main destinations of Transnistrian exports, is from 1 January 2007 an EU Member State. The access to European Trade Preferences that Transnistrian businesses gained as a result of their registration with Moldovan de jure authorities is another key factor.

This data shows that despite the official propaganda businesses in the region operate normally, more than that, they expand to new markets. This data also shows the benefits that the registration of Transnistrian businesses with the Moldovan authorities bring to their activity, but also in a broader sense to the reintegration of the economic space of Moldova.

It is worth noting that on 13 July the Inter RAO EES owned Transnistrian Power Plant in Dnestrovsc (Kuciurgan), one of the largest Transnistrian enterprises, resumed exports to Romania. The plant will increase its production capacity twice by operating two more power blocks in addition to the two blocks working at the moment. The company expects to export to Romania over one billion kilowat in the first year of operation at the price of 0.05 USD per kilowat.

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