Transnistrian Conflict on March 1–15, 2011

Incentives for the resumption of negotiations in “5+2” format

On March 1, 2011, Transnistrian region was visited by the Envoy of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs in charge for the Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia, Patricia Flor, in order to assess the possibility to resume negotiations for the settlement of Transnistrian problem. Patricia Flor mentioned that Germany is ready, along with the EU, to provide assistance, including by participation in implementation of various projects. To find some functional approach, Patricia Flor proposed to study the experience of German unification, which would allow getting acquainted with the stages of the process. In response, the head of Transnistrian diplomacy, Vladimir Yastrebchak, mentioned that those have to be called to the resumption of negotiations who have ceased them in February 2006 — the representative of the Republic of Moldova, Vasile Şova — without explaining the reasons. Also, in order to resume negotiations, it it necessary to restore the situation that was before their cessation, that is the admission of international trade of Transnistria without the involvement of Moldova. According to Yastrebchak, “Moldova has undertaken a series of measures to make pressure on Transnistrian side and violates the agreements signed previously. Following the actions of Moldovan side, including in customs regulations, which were supported by Ukrainian leadership, Transnistrian export companies have suffered significant losses; the social-economic situation in Transnistria has deteriorated immediately… Measures of pressure continued by Moldovan leadership adversely affect the Transnistria’s ability to fulfil social commitments before the population, limiting citizens’ rights and opportunities.” In the same vein, the meeting of Patricia Flor with Transnistrian leader, Igor Smirnov, the latter said that the shares offered by the EU to Moldova for preferential export of goods are used as a tool of economic blackmail against Transnistria. According to Smirnov there are no premises for unification of Transnistria with Moldova, because these are two incompatible entities which have no common interest.

On 4 March 2011, the Head of OSCE Mission to Moldova, Philip Remler, had a meeting with Transnistrian leader, Igor Smirnov, which tackled the same issue — the resumption of official negotiations in “5+2” format. In the same way, Transnistrian leader replied that negotiations may be resumed only on the basis of the principle of equality of parties and only after the removal of barriers for the Transnistrian exports, introduced after the interruption of negotiations by Moldovan side on 28 February 2006. Moreover, Igor Smirnov mentioned that Chişinău’s inability to overcome the political crisis does not provide the necessary framework for negotiations. However, the Head of OSCE Mission Philip Remler mentioned that during recent consultations in Vienna a number of participating delegations concluded that negotiations must have an official status so that any eventual singed commitments would have the same status. According to Remler it would be great if already in the current year the progress would be made as far as the free movement of citizens is concerned, so that they would enjoy the protection of officially signed documents.

On 8 March 2011, the head of Transnistrian diplomacy has met with the delegation of Moldova Group of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, led by Walburga Habsburg Douglas, stressing that in the process of Transnistrian settlement nothing special happens even on the level of working groups. Besides re-launching the passenger train Tiraspol-Chisinau-Odessa, practically nothing has been done, in particular the rail traffic for transportation of goods through the territory of Transnistria was not restarted, and the barriers for foreign trade in the region were not removed. The head of Transnistrian diplomacy stressed that only the resolution of these problems could boost the resumption act of negotiations in “5+2” format.

Provocations on the Remembrance Day for the beginning of the armed conflict in 1992

On March 2, 2011, during commemoration of 1992 events, regarded as the beginning of armed conflict between the two banks of Nistru, Transnistrian militia arrested the mayor of Corjova, Valeriu Miţcul, and the Councillor, Iurie Coţofană. The incident happened at 11.30 in front of the village church during the ceremony commemorating the victims of war on Nistru. Approximately 30 Transnistrian militiamen intervened to apprehend the two on the grounds that “on the territory of Transnistrian Moldovan Republic it is forbidden to raise the flag of Moldova”.

The two arrested men were tried and sentenced to eight days of administrative imprisonment. According to Transnistrian militia the two were guilty of organizing a meeting under the flag of the Republic of Moldova and because they showed resistance to Transnistrian militia. Conflicts of this kind occur in Corjova on various occasions, since the Moldovan authorities consider that this locality is under its jurisdiction, and the Transnistrian ones consider that Corjova is not a separate locality, but just a suburb of Dubăsari, which is under the Transnistrian jurisdiction. Moldovan authorities have condemned the behaviour of Transnistrian militia for violating the citizens’ legitimate rights, qualifying them as a provocation meant to damage the conflict settlement process. Moldovan authorities also mentioned that Tiraspol administration is the one fully responsible for illegal actions that took place in the Security Zone and the subsequent consequences of these provocations. In this context, according to Moldovan authorities “the incident again highlighted the deficiencies in the ability of current peacekeeping operation to respond to crisis situations, thus confirming the need to initiate the dialogue on a transforming the operation into a multinational civil mission with international mandate”. In order to relax somehow the situation, Transnistrian leader decided on March 5 to release the two detainees as a sign of goodwill and on the occasion of soon celebration of March 8. On 11 March, the Director Information and Media Department of the Russian Federation Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Alexandr Lukashevich, declared that “the incident in Corjova confirm once again that it is necessary to resume official negotiations in «5+2» format in order to settle the unresolved issues”.

Transnistrian administration accuses destabilization of the situation on the eve of Joe Biden’s visit

The incident in Corjova of March 2, 2011 has been interpreted by Transnistrian administration as a provocation by Moldovan authorities, planned the visit in Chişinău on March 11 of the US Vice-President, Joseph Biden. The head of Transnistrian diplomacy, Vladimir Yastrebchak, mentioned that Chisinau provoked the incident in Corjova to draw attention to the attention of US Vice-President, during his visit to Chisinau, and to have a pretext to raise the issue of transforming the peacekeeping mission of Russia in a civil one with international participation and to invoke the need of Transnistria’s disarmament, etc. In this context, in an interview to American newspaper “The Wall Street Journal”, Yastrebchak said that US Vice-President is likely to form a distorted opinion about Transnistria if he will communicate only with Moldovan authorities. According to Yastrebchak, “if US Vice-President can not visit Tiraspol as a capital of an unrecognized state, then nothing prevents him from meeting with representatives of Transnistria as a party in the conflict”.

Transnistrian leadership unhappy with Joe Biden’s visit to Moldova

On March 12, 2011 Transnistrian leadership has issued a press release announcing that it doubts about the status of impartial observer of the US in the process of normalizing the relations between Moldova and Transnistria. Communication refers to the Protocol of 27 September 2005 which established the “5+2” format, which refers specifically to the rights and obligations of observers in the negotiation process, which would be violated by statements made by US Vice-President, Joe Biden, made on March 11 in Chisinau. Specifically speaking, the Transnistrian leadership is unhappy with the following statements of US official:

US supports the Transnistrian settlement, and not any one, but one that would ensure the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova.(According to Transnistrian leadership that Baden’s statement would be contrary to the positions of Chisinau and Tiraspol, and to the positions of guarantor countries — Russia and Ukraine, which consider that the final wording of the settlement has to be accepted by the conflicting parties);
The conflict should be resolved in short terms.(Transnistrian consider that US want to burn the stages of the settlement process, ignoring the need to respect the equal status of parties in the negotiation process between Chisinau and Tiraspol);
The point of view expressed by Joe Biden reiterates the theses from the report of Senator Richard Lugar made public on 8 February 2011 and comes to undermine the dialogue initiated by Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, with European leaders on European security.

According to the statement, the US official statements ignore the realities that were established in the region during the last 20 years and this makes the conflicting parties short of manoeuvring room that is needed for the settlement. On this occasion, Tiraspol reminded to Joe Biden about the bad role the US position has played in the region in November 2003, when the Kozak memorandum was rejected.

Efforts to resume the activity of working groups

On March 5, 2011 the political representatives for the Transnistrian settlement have met in order to re-launch the activity of bilateral groups of experts. During the meeting Moldovan side has submitted to Transnistrian one a regulation on the activity of working groups. According to Transnistrian side it is interested in the activity of groups concerning the economics, infrastructure, auto and rail transportation, ecology. In this context, the Transnistrian side has shown interest in free movement of people and goods, stressing that Transnistria does not charge any more the duty of 100% on imports of Moldovan goods, expecting that Moldova also will cancel the duty of 8–20% on importing Transnistrian goods. In this context, the head of Transnistrian diplomacy rhetorically asks — who maintain the barriers on the movement of goods and who classifies the goods from Transnistria as import?

Transnistria is going to review its concept of budgetary and tax policy

Transnistrian authorities are going to review the budgetary and tax policy for the next three years. The new design provides a simpler and more transparent tax system, which would increase the budgetary revenues, attract investments and create additional jobs. On this occasion it is planned to change the administration of taxes for small and medium business, as well as for foreign economic activity. In this context, it is planned to simplify the accounting rules for small business, providing for enhanced fiscal discipline and incentives for not hiding the income. At the same time, it is provided to raising taxes to transportation service providers. The new concept provides for three times reduction of the tax for dividend payments, from 15% to 5%, expecting that it will make traders get rid of using the income redistribution schemes. It also provides to increase the single social tax by up to 24% in order to attract resources to Pension Fund that is facing an acute crisis.

Russia will resume humanitarian assistance for Transnistria

During his visit to Moscow, President of the Supreme Soviet of Transnistria and the leader of “Obnovlenye” movement, Anatoly Kaminsky discussed with the Chairman of the Supreme Council of the ruling party in the Russian Federation “Edinaya Rossia”, Boris Gryzlov, the issue of resuming its humanitarian aid of the Russian Federation to Transnistria. Kaminsky was informed by Gryzlov that the issue of resuming the humanitarian aid is practically solved, recalling that in the period 2007–2010 the total amount of Russian humanitarian support to Transnistria was $ 55 million, the money were intended for 137,000 Transnistrian pensioners, hospitals and kindergartens. Previously cut off the aid for Transnistria, accusing the administration in Tiraspol of embezzling the aid. Unlocking the Russian support for Transnistria has always been an element of internal political struggle in Transnistria. Currently, on the eve of presidential elections in Transnistria, scheduled for December 2011, this struggle is particularly acute. The fact that the leader of “Obnovlenye” movement is contributing to the resumption of Russian support is seen as a small pre-electoral victory of this party, who announced that he will propose his counter-candidate to Smirnov in presidential elections to be held in December.

The draft amendment to the Transnistrian constitution is voted in first reading

On March 9, 2011 the Transnistrian Supreme Soviet adopted in first reading a draft amendment to the constitution after receiving the opinion of the Legal Department of the Russian State Duma and after approval in the Committee on CIS affairs and relations with compatriots. This kind of coordination took place due to the interest of Transnistria to harmonize its legislation with that of Russia, which in turn wishes Transnistria prosperity and agreed to consider and support the changes in Transnistrian constitution as the guarantor in the conflict settlement process. The final version of the draft was prepared by a conciliation committee and provides for establishing the institution of government and the position of Prime Minister and to transform the Supreme Soviet into a professional legislative body. Transnistrian leader Igor Smirnov is not satisfied with the version passed by the Supreme Soviet, saying there are things yet to be resolved. Smirnov has no reason to rush, since the proposals of the Soviet may lead to inflated bureaucracy. Therefore, Smirnov proposes that the institution of government to be served by civil servants of the presidency that is run by him. According to Smirnov, amendments to Transnistrian constitution must anticipate the further course of events and protect the Transnistrian statehood. He also mentioned that he would not accept that as a result of constitutional amendments to undermine the existing balance between the three branches of power. Also, Smirnov reiterated his negative attitude to the introduction of proportional electoral system. In this regard, Smirnov’s position runs counter to the stated purpose of constitutional reform — to bring the norms of Transnistrian constitution in compliance with those of the Russian Federation.

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