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Don't Pour Out the Wine
// Moscow Tries to Single-Handedly Bring Chisinau and Tiraspol Together
Yesterday Gennady Onishchenko, the head of the Russian Federal Agency for Health and Consumer Rights (Rospotrebnadzor), confirmed that Moldovan wine will soon be allowed back into the Russian market, once Russian inspectors have made a visit to Chisinau to conduct obligatory quality-control tests. In that spirit, Kommersant has learned that the recent thaw in Russian-Moldovan relations has resulted in a new deal, according to which Moscow will repeal the sanctions in return for the implementation of a Russian plan to finally resolve the Transdneistr conflict. Such a foreign-policy coup would allow Russia to claim the crown of the region's top peacemaker.
In the last month, Russia has hosted delegations from both Moldova and the self-proclaimed Republic of Transdneistr in pursuit of a plan to end one of the former USSR's so-called "frozen conflicts." The diplomats discussed the situation in Transdneistr, as well as transportation and foreign trade problems that arose last March when Moldova and Ukraine slapped special customs restrictions on exports from the breakaway republic, a move that was interpreted by Tiraspol and Moscow as an economic blockade. Though the two sides refused to sit at the same table, Moscow did make some headway by setting up a meeting between Transdneistr Foreign Affairs Minister Valery Litskay and Moldovan Ambassador to Russia Vasily Sturza.
The recent spark of diplomatic activity in Russia on the Moldovan front is in no small part due to Chisinau's new readiness to cooperate with Moscow on a solution to the problem of Transdneistr. Last summer, Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin presented Russian President Vladimir Putin with a plan for the normalization of relations between Moldova and Russia. In his proposal, Mr. Voronon agreed to grant Transdneistr sweeping powers of self-rule within the Republic of Moldova. In return, he requested that the resulting "united Moldova" be granted neutral status, which would exempt it from hosting foreign troops of military bases on its territory.
On their visit to Moscow this January, the Moldovan diplomats again expressed President Voronin's wish to follow through with the plan, as well as his readiness to return to several ideas contained in the so-called Kozak memorandum of 2003, which was presented to the presidents of Moldova and Transdneistr by then Russian deputy chief of staff Dmitry Kozak. At the last minute, the original plan was turned down by Mr. Voronin, provoking a fierce skirmish between Russia and Moldova that many believe occasioned Rospotrebnadzor's ban on Moldovan wine. Now, however, Moldova has agreed to return to the negotiating table to talk about the plan, particularly the points that suggest treating Tiraspol as an equal partner in the negotiations.
Chisinau is still insisting that Transdneistr be granted autonomy only within the larger Republic of Moldova. In Tiraspol, however, Transdneistr President Igor Smirnov, buoyed by the results of a September referendum on independence, is demanding full independence from Moldova and eventual unification with Russia. For its part, Moscow is pushing for Tiraspol to accept a confederation with Chisinau. In any case, Chisinau admits that Moscow is holding the reins: "These questions are not decided in either Tiraspol or Chisianu. In my understanding, the ball is in the Russians' court," said a Kommersant source in the Moldovan government.
Work is now moving forward on a joint declaration by President Voronin and President Smirnov concerning the final resolution of the conflict, a declaration that would be witnessed by President Putin. Moscow hopes that the peace process will be a feather in its cap to flaunt at the OSCE, Ukraine, the EU, and the US, all of which have expressed doubts about Russia's role in promulgating peace and stability in the region.
Vladimir Solovyov
All the Article in Russian as of Feb. 07, 2007
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