Moscow considers the Russian passports of the residents of Transdniestria reason enough to support the leaders of the unrecognized republic politically.
Photo: Andrey Fedoruk
| Other Photos |
 |
|
 |
Russia Doesn't Recognize Moldova
// Constructions workers to bear the brunt of Moscow's Transdniestria wrath
Friendship of the Nations
The Moldovan Foreign Ministry recalled its ambassador in Moscow Vasily Sturza for consultations yesterday. That is Chisinau's reaction to the support Russia has shown for the unrecognized Transdniestrian Moldovan Republic in the “customs war.” This crisis in Russian-Moldovan relations has been going on since 2003, and has grown to open confrontation and the use of pressure. Kommersant has learned that Moscow has already instituted a complex of measures intended to force Moldova to drop its claims against Transdniestria.
The Allies
Chisinau's diplomatic move yesterday is evidence that a peak has come in the tension that has been mounting between the two countries since Moldova and Ukraine imposed a new procedure for the transit of Transdniestrian goods. Moldovan Ambassador Vasily Sturza was recalled from Moscow for urgent consultations. At the same time, Moldovan Foreign Minister Andrey Stratan contacted Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov asking for an explanation of the scandal-tinged press conference held by Russian Ambassador Nikolay Ryaban in Chisinau. At the beginning of the week, Ryabov criticized Moldovan authorities in incautious language and said that Moscow will not tolerate Moldova's aggressive policy toward Transdniestria. “Russia will defend its interests in this region. As a great power bearing responsibility for the current world order, we will not deny our own,” Ryabov declared. He called the new rules for the transit of good introduced by Kiev on March 3, which require that Transdniestrian manufacturers have Moldovan customs forms for their goods, a political action devised in the West.
Ryabov's angry performance for Moldovan journalists was undoubtedly ordered by Moscow. It was intended to make it clear who Chisinau would be tangling with in the Moldovan-Transdniestrian conflict. But, with relations between the countries already extremely complex, it was the straw that broke the camel's back for Moldovan authorities.
Moldova's determination to challenge Russia is connected with the fact that it has the backing of the West and Ukraine in the matter. Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko told a Kommersant correspondent that Kiev is as determined to impose order at the border between Ukraine and Transdniestria. He stated that Kiev and Chisinau simply brought their customs procedures into line with international norms. “It is in our interests, since they are bringing contraband goods into our territory. That means that we bear the responsibility internationally for the violation of those procedures.” Yushchenko added that no blockade of Transdniestria was being made. “Listen to the statistics. It seems that 17 boxcars were not allowed out of Transdniestria because of the procedure. But about 525 boxcars were not allowed into Transdniestria, a third of them with food products. Obviously that is in order to declare a humanitarian crisis later,” the Ukrainian president told Kommersant.
The West is providing Chisinau with all the psychological support it can. The United States, European Union and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe have all approved the new transit rules and criticized Transdniestrian authorities for creating its own blockade. Official U.S. State Department representative Tom Casey stated that an important step has been taken in resolving the drawn out conflict in Transdniestria and urges Tiraspol to refrain from taking action in response that would impede legal trade. EU High Representative for Foreign Policy and Security Javier Solana even promised to provide assistance for implementing the new procedure. The OSCE mission in Moldova noted in a statement that the new measures bring order to trade and bring it up to international standards.
The Blockaders
At the same time, Transdniestrian authorities are mobilizing support within the region. Local leaders have been ordered to produce mass protests against the economic blockade. All employees paid from the state budget have been put at their disposal for this purpose with the threat of docked pay to encourage them. Directors of local enterprises have been given similar instructions. Moldovan Minister of Economics Valery Lazer said that the largest manufacturers in the region, which operate with Moldovan documents, have not been allowed to export their products from Transdniestria. Cargo with documents made out under the new rules is being stopped by Transdniestrian customs, which are headed by Vladimir Smirnov, son of Transdniestrian President Igor Smirnov. To avoid overproduction, factories are forced to come to a stop and the unoccupied workers are being used for street demonstrations in Transdniestria and beyond it. Workers in Odessa and Kiev have been urged to take part in pickets against the “blockade.”
On March 31, an extraordinary meeting of legislators of all levels will be held in Tiraspol. Besides the parliamentarians, Transdniestrian President Smirnov, all state ministers and regional, city and village administrators will take part in the meeting. They will pass a resolution on further anti-blockade actions.
In Tiraspol, they are waiting for the results of next Sunday's parliamentary elections in Ukraine with interest. Transdniestrian Foreign Minister Valery Litskai is confident he will be able to reach an agreement with the new Ukrainian government. “The agreement on the new customs procedure was not signed by Yushchenko, but by Prime Minister Ekhanuorv. So we will wait and speak with the new head of the cabinet,” he told a Kommersant correspondent.
But Transdniestrian authorities are placing their main hopes on Russia. President Smirnov is coordinating all of his actions with Moscow and insistently requesting high-placed Russian officials to take a tougher position toward Ukraine and Moldova for their “economic blockade” of the region he controls. As Litskai told Kommersant, an “advance group is Tiraspol at the level of deputy ministers from leading departments who have the task of choosing countermeasures along with Russia” is already at work in Moscow. “Our geopolitical happiness is to be located between Moldova and Ukraine. Therefore, Chisinau cannot block our republic unilaterally. And that means that there is a chance that Russia will convince Ukraine to reject the new rules.”
The Protectors
Russia is usually understanding of Transdniestria's problems and requests. Although Moscow had formerly been cautious, it has now decided to become practically the intermediary in the conflict and ostentatiously stand on the side of the unrecognized republic. A convoy of trucks arrived in Transdniestria yesterday with humanitarian aid. Twenty-three trucks with food and medicine traversed Ukraine to Transdniestria. Russia asked Ukraine to give priority to the customs clearance of the trucks and ensure that they traveled unhindered.
Russia does not intend to limit itself to material aid for the friendly region. Kommersant has learned that has begun to implement a series of harsh measures to force Moldova not only to ease its pressure on Transdniestria, but to make it give up its claims against the self-proclaimed republic altogether. Security and economic agencies have been included in the effort.
The most common form of pressure used, a boycott of goods has worked against Moldova and Ukraine before and the time has come to use it again. At the beginning of this week, the main public health doctor of Russia Gennady Onishchenko announced that limitations would be imposed on deliveries of Moldovan and Georgian wines to Russia. “We are very concerned about the situation with Moldovan and Georgian wines. Safety indicators do not correspond to norms. Heavy metals and pesticides have been found in their chemical makeup,” Onishchenko said.
Natural gas is being used to pressure Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin as well. The contract under which Moldova receives Russian gas for $110 per 100 cu. m. expires in April. Gazprom is raising the price to $160 per 1000 cu. m. For Moldova, that is a significant jump. A Moldovan government headed by Deputy Prime Minister Zinaida Grechana has been in Moscow since Monday, but it has not been successful in convincing Moscow to moderate the price growth.
Moscow is demonstratively ignoring Chisinau's efforts to solve problems at a high level. President Voronin recently stated that he was preparing for s trip to Russia to discuss the Transdniestria situation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. A rude refusal was given Moldovan authorities through Ryabov: there could be no visit while Moldova continued its “blockade.”
If all of that is not enough to force Chisinau into concessions, there are even harsher measures waiting in reserve. The conditions under which Moldovan guests workers are allowed into Russia can be tightened, and their money transfers to their homeland can be blocked.
All of that is to help Tiraspol. And that is not all in that effort either. A source in the Transdniestrian Economics Ministry told Kommersant that a full write-off of Transdniestria's debt for natural gas is possible, which would be worth about $700 million, and Russian companies may reconstruct the Tiraspol airport, to insure timely and interrupted deliveries of Russian aid.
Moscow even has a political instrument in reserve. Russian politicians at various levels have been talking lately about the recognition of self-proclaimed republics. Particular attention is being paid to Kosovo, the recognition of which the U.S. is supporting. Transdniestrian authorities, who have long wanted a referendum on their status, could advance that idea if Moscow told them to. The results of such a referendum are easily predictable in advance.
Vladimir Solovyev
All the Article in Russian as of Mar. 23, 2006
|
|
|
