Radio România Internațional

Tag: Transdniester

  • March 7, 2024 UPDATE

    March 7, 2024 UPDATE

    TALKS Romanian president Klaus Iohannis has received in Bucharest the head of the Austrian government Karl Nehammer with whom he talked about Romania’s fully-fledged accession to Schengen. After the talks, Iohannis has written on a social network that this process will continue until the final objective is reached. The European Union must be united, strong and prosperous, and Romania’s entry into Europe’s border-free area will further consolidate the EU security to benefit all citizens. In turn, the Austrian chancellor said the EU borders need funding and that asylum procedures must be rapidly implemented so that people illegally staying in the EU may be repatriated. He has again said the Schengen zone cannot be extended. At the congress in Bucharest, the European People’s Party on Wednesday endorsed a manifesto calling for Romania’s accession to Schengen as soon as possible, after the Austrian delegation of the People’s Party in power had ceased to vote against it. According to the aforementioned manifesto, Romania and Bulgaria’s fully-fledged Schengen accession is needed by lifting as soon as possible not only the maritime and air controls but also at the ground borders.

     

    EPP The incumbent president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, is the official candidate of the European People’s Party (EPP) for a new five year term in office. Her candidacy was approved through vote on Thursday, during the party’s congress, which was held for two days in Bucharest. Opinion polls are placing the EPP as the first political force in the upcoming European elections in June. “The European Union is a precious thing, which we must defend and preserve for future generations,” von der Leyen said after nomination. She added that Vladimir Putin shouldn’t win the war, which he started in Ukraine in an attempt to move borders by force. “We stay by Ukraine and support it with all our forces to integrate in Europe,” the head of the European Commission pointed out. In turn, the Romanian president, Klaus Iohannis told the participants in the EPP congress that we are presently in a complicated and unstable international context, and that extremism represents one of the numerous challenges the European Union must face. Over two thousand delegates out of 40 countries, including heads of state and government, party presidents and European Commissioners have attended the meeting in Bucharest. Romania also hosted an EPP congress in October 2012.

     

    SUPPORT French president Emmanuel Macron has reiterated France’s full support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova, an ex-soviet, Romanian-speaking country. On Thursday, Macron held talks in Paris with Moldovan president Maia Sandu with whom he signed two bilateral agreements on cooperation in the field of defence and on economic cooperation. The meeting took place a week after the threats made by the separatists from the breakaway region of Transdinester who called for Moscow’s support. Sandu and Macron have made a joint appeal to Russia to withdraw immediately the troops illegally stationed on the territory of the Republic of Moldova, in Transdniester. “In spite of threats, pressure and intimidation, Moldova has chosen freedom, independence and Europe and strengthening security is a condition necessary for its economic development. So, under the two agreements signed in Paris, France will give it full support, the French president went on to say. He has announced that a French mission will open in Chisinau in the following months with a view to strengthening relations in fields such as the training and interoperability of the armed forces of the two countries. President Sandu says the meeting takes place against new attempts by Russia to exert more pressure on her country. “The Moldovans have a right to decide their own future, and this is in the European Union,” Sandu went on to say.

     

    ELECTIONS Romania’s government is to analyse a draft emergency order on merging the local elections and the elections for the European Parliament on June 9. According to an INSCOP poll commissioned by News.ro, the Social Democratic Party and the National Liberal Party, in power in Romania and running on joint lists of candidates, would get 43.7% of the votes. Next in the poll come the nationalist party AUR with little over 20%, and the United Right Alliance, also in Opposition, with 13.7%. As for the local elections, the poll indicates the Social Democrats would get 30.6% of the county and local council seats, the Liberals 25.6%, AUR 17.4%, and the United Right Alliance 9.8%. With respect to merging the two elections, the poll suggests over 57% of citizens are in favour of the idea. More than one-third of the interviewees are in favour of joint candidate lists for the Social Democrats and the Liberals in the European elections and separate lists for the local elections, while 51.3% disagree with the decision. Romania’s presidential elections are scheduled in September, and the general elections are due in December.

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  • The Republic of Moldova’s European path

    The Republic of Moldova’s European path

    With an avowed pro-Western president, Maia Sandu, and with a presidential party, Action and Solidarity, which clearly dominates Parliament and holds all ministries, the Republic of Moldova seems, after three decades of oscillations between the East and the West, finally capable of permanently exiting Moscow’s orbit. As always, Romania is the most consistent and energetic advocate of Moldovas independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as of its aspirations for European integration. Created on a part of the Eastern Romanian territories annexed by the Stalinist Soviet Union in 1940, following an ultimatum, the Republic of Moldova declared its independence on August 27, 1991, after the failure of the neo-Bolshevik putsch in Moscow, targeting the last Soviet leader, the reformist Mikhail Gorbachev. On the same day, Romania became the first country in the world to recognize the statehood of its new neighbor.



    Now, at a time when hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians are taking refuge in the Republic of Moldova fleeing the Russian troops who invaded their country, and when bizarre grenade explosions and attacks are raising fears of rekindling the frozen conflict in the pro-Russian separatist region of Transdniester (in the east), the parliamentary parties in Bucharest reiterate, in one voice, their support for the European path of Chișinău. A professional military, the Liberal Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca is pleading for a very balanced analysis of the incidents in Transdniester, to avoid the deterioration of the security situation in the area, which is already fragile.



    The leader of the Social Democratic Party – PSD (partner of the Liberals in the governing coalition) Marcel Ciolacu himself believes that the incidents in Tiraspol were an intimidation attempt and announces that a joint meeting of the leaderships of the Romania Senate and the Chamber of Deputies with the Moldovan MPs will take place in the next weeks. The Euro MP representing the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania – UDMR (a junior partner in the governing coalition), Iuliu Winkler, recalls the applications for EU accession submitted by Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia and hopes that all these ex-Soviet states will officially become candidates for EU accession.



    In opposition, Save Romania Union – USR deputy Dan Barna believes that the incidents in Tiraspol were just instigations which must be regarded with diplomatic wisdom, and the only chance for the stability of the Republic of Moldova is its EU accession, and that Romania, as a member state of both the EU and NATO, has the duty to support Moldovas European path. For the nationalist opposition Alliance for the Union of Romanians – AUR, says senator Sorin Lavric, the reunification of the Republic of Moldova with Romania is the only real security solution, given that the incidents in Transdniester are allegedly aimed at extending the war from Ukraine to that region. (LS)

  • December 13, 2021 UPDATE

    December 13, 2021 UPDATE

    COVID-19 Romania on Monday reported 494 new Covid-19 infections, a lower number
    than in the previous day. 17 thousand tests have been conducted, which means an
    infection rate of 2.91. 45 fatalities have been reported and the total number
    of patients treated in hospitals has dropped to roughly 4 thousand. Out of
    these, 700 are in ICUs. Most of the cases have been reported in capital city
    Bucharest, and in Cluj, western Romania. 7.6 million people have been fully
    vaccinated in Romania so far. People coming to Romania from outside the
    European Union or from other states in the red tier who are unvaccinated will
    have to stay in quarantine for 10 days even if they have a negative PCR test.










    OMICRON Britain has reported the
    first death of a patient who was suffering from the Omicron variant.
    Authorities in London have so far reported over 3 thousand infections with the
    new variant and forecast that the total number of infections is going to reach
    one million. The Omicron variant has caused worldwide concern and has already
    been identified in 63 countries. In another development, the WHO has estimated
    the real tally of the Covid-19 could be three times higher than that announced.
    The information provided by the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine shows 270
    million infections and 5.3 million deaths. The USA has been most affected with
    roughly 50 million cases and 800 thousand fatalities. The Delta variant is the
    most widespread variant in the USA, with 99% infections.











    TRANSDNISTER The Romanian foreign ministry said Romania does not
    recognise the legitimacy of Sunday’s elections in the breakaway pro-Russian
    region of Transdniester in the east of the majority Romanian-speaking Republic
    of Moldova. In a statement, it also reiterated its support for a comprehensive,
    peaceful and sustainable solution of the conflict in keeping with international
    law, respect for Moldova’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its
    internationally recognised borders and without affecting its European path. The
    Moldovan authorities also described the elections in Transdniester illegal.
    Transdniester de facto broke away from Moldova in 1992 following an armed
    conflict in which hundreds of people were killed and which only ended with the
    intervention of the Russian troops on the side of the separatists.










    SWIMMING Romania will bring five
    swimmers to the 25 m competition in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, taking
    place over December 16th and 21st. Among them are Robert
    Glinţă and David Popovici. Also on the Romanian team are George-Alexandru
    Stoica-Constantin, Alexandra Dobrin, and Bianca Costea. We recall that the
    Romanian team’s performance in the 25 m competition in Kazan, Russia, in
    November, earned them three medals. The gold went to David Popovici for 200 m
    freestyle, and a silver and a bronze went to Robert Glinţă for the 100 m and 50
    m events. Popovici at that point got the first gold medal for Romania in the
    history of 25 m events, after 4 silver and 8 bronze medals.








    (bill)

  • Again on the withdrawal of Russian troops from Transdniester

    Again on the withdrawal of Russian troops from Transdniester

    Forced to deal with an often uncomfortable cohabitation between the pro Russian Socialist president Igor Dodon and the mostly pro-Western government headed by Maia Sandu, the Republic of Moldova is trying to preserve its good relations with Brussels and Bucharest and to normalise the ones with Moscow. The withdrawal of Russian troops from its territory continues to be one of Moldova’s priorities, Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu said on Wednesday in Moscow. During his first official visit to Russia, the Moldovan official met with his Russian counterpart, Serghei Lavrov, and hailed Russia’s availability to neutralise its ammunition deposited in Transdniester.



    According to the Radio Romania correspondent, Lavrov said the expired ammunition to be removed from the breakaway region of Transdniester accounts for half of the total 20 thousand tons deposited there. Preparations for the ammunition disposal could take more than a year, Seghei Lavrov said. Previously, Russian defence minister Serghei Soigu had also announced, in Chisinau, Moscow’s availability to discard their ammunition from Transdniester. Pundits are sceptical about these commitments and say that they are mere palliatives.



    Last year, the UN General Assembly adopted by a large majority a draft resolution tabled by the Republic of Moldova, requesting the withdrawal of Russian troops from the pro-Russian separatist region of Transdniester. Ten countries worked on drafting the document, including Moldova’s neighbours Romania and Ukraine, the 3 Baltic states, themselves subject to half a century of Soviet occupation, and key members of the European Union and NATO, such as Britain and Poland. A steady supporter of the independence and integrity of the neighbouring state, Bucharest promptly hailed the adoption of the resolution by a vote of 64 to 15, and 83 abstentions. The US, Germany, France, Canada, Turkey and Japan are among the relevant international players that backed the request for Russia to withdraw its military. Voting against were some of Moscow’s loyal allies, such as Armenia and Belarus, as well as the dictatorial regimes of North Korea, Syria and Cuba.



    The scene of an armed conflict that killed hundreds and only ended following the intervention of Russian troops on the side of the separatists, Transdniester has been outside the control of Moldovan authorities since 1992. In 1999, at the OSCE summit in Istanbul, Russia’s then president Boris Yeltsin undertook to pull out arms and troops from Transdniester. The process was halted 5 years later. (Translated by Elena Enache)

  • Decisions at the NATO summit in Brussels

    Decisions at the NATO summit in Brussels

    Romania got very
    good results – this is how president Klaus Iohannis briefly described our country’s
    participation in the NATO summit held in Brussels on Wednesday and Thursday. He
    has characterized the talks as intense, and has stated that the conclusions
    were optimistic, with many allies committing themselves to increasing their
    military expenses to 2% of the GDP by 2024, along with enhanced efforts to
    combat terrorism.






    Part of its
    constant contribution to strengthening NATO’s eastern flank, Bucharest will
    host an operational command centre, and the multinational brigade that is
    already on Romanian soil, will become permanent. Here is president Klaus
    Iohannis:






    Klaus Iohannis: We believe that, when
    the center has been finalized, we will have some 400 NATO staff officers here.
    We have managed to upgrade the status of the multinational brigade that we have
    set up, which now has a permanent status. We will keep on negotiating with the
    other allies to ensure a solid presence within this multinational brigade.
    These are two of the results that we should be proud of.






    Not just as a
    host, but also as a provider of troops for theatres of operations abroad,
    Romania announced at the summit that next year it would enhance its military
    presence in Afghanistan, upsizing its troops from 700 to more than 950
    soldiers. A special session was held on the sidelines of the summit, organized
    at Bucharest’s initiative, devoted to security in the Black Sea area. The
    guests were two riparian countries, Georgia and Ukraine, both NATO partners. In
    fact, as commentators have noticed, the Black Sea was given much visibility at
    the summit, including by being mentioned repeatedly in the NATO documents and
    decisions, which was a confirmation of the area’s strategic importance.






    In another move,
    the NATO heads of state and government called on Russia to pull out its troops
    form the Republic of Moldova, a former Soviet republic with a predominantly
    Romanian-speaking population, as well as from Ukraine and Georgia, and to take
    a constructive part in settling the Transdniester conflict.






    A pro-Russia
    separatist region in the east of the Republic of Moldova, Transdniester pulled
    out of Chisinau’s control in 1992, after an armed conflict that claimed
    hundreds of lives, and which was resolved by the intervention of Moscow troops,
    on the separatists’ side. This summer alone, both the UN General Assembly and
    the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE have called on Russia to withdraw its
    troops, as it officially promised two decades ago. In the final declaration of
    the summit, NATO commits itself to supporting democratic efforts in the
    Republic of Moldova, as well as the efforts to strengthen the country’s defense
    capabilities.





  • UN backs call on Russia to pull out troops from Moldova

    UN backs call on Russia to pull out troops from Moldova

    As anticipated by analysts, the UN General Assembly adopted by a large majority a draft resolution tabled by the Republic of Moldova, requesting the withdrawal of Russian troops from the pro-Russian separatist region of Transdniester. Ten countries worked on drafting the document, including Moldovas neighbours Romania and Ukraine, the 3 Baltic states, themselves subject to half a century of Soviet occupation, and key members of the European Union and NATO, such as Britain and Poland.



    A steady supporter of the independence and integrity of the neighbouring state, Bucharest promptly hailed the adoption of the resolution by a vote of 64 to 15, and 83 abstentions. The USA, Germany, France, Canada, Turkey and Japan are among the relevant international players that have backed the request for Russia to withdraw its military. Voting against were some of Moscows loyal allies, such as Armenia and Belarus, as well as the dictatorial regimes of North Korea, Syria and Cuba.



    The separatist authorities of Transdniester and the pro-Russian president of Moldova, Igor Dodon, did not conceal their frustration. However, on behalf of the pro-Western Government of the Republic of Moldova, the former PM and foreign minister and current deputy PM Iurie Leanca said the outcome of the vote is a success:



    Iurie Leanca: “We are all aware that a resolution adopted in the General Assembly is of a rather symbolic nature, yet symbolism means a lot in international relations. And although we do not expect immediate moves in that region and the withdrawal of the ammunition and the troops guarding the ammunition there, nevertheless this is a very important goal.



    The scene of an armed conflict that killed hundreds and only ended following the intervention of Russian troops on the side of the separatists, Transdniester has been outside the control of Moldovan authorities since 1992. The Republic of Moldova, which had just proclaimed its independence the year before, still had no armed forces of its own at that time, so it only sent police corps and volunteer units to face the Russian military.



    Moscow itself has not recognised the unilaterally proclaimed independence of Transdniester, a region often described as a crime haven at the gates of Europe, a hub of arms, drugs and human trafficking. In 1999, at the OSCE summit in Istanbul, Russias then president Boris Yeltsin undertook to pull out arms and troops from Transdniester. The process ground to full halt 5 years later, and Moldovan authorities estimate that today 1,500 to 1,700 Russian troops and some 21,000 tons of ammunition still illegally remain in the breakaway east of the country.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • June 23, 2018 UPDATE

    June 23, 2018 UPDATE


    PRESIDENCY – Romanias president Klaus Iohannis has announced he will run for another term as president of the country. Iohannis, aged 59, will complete his first term, which he won in November 2014, when he ran on the part of the Christian Liberal Alliance. Since 2000 until 2014 he was the mayor of the city of Sibiu, in the centre. The next presidential elections in Romania are due in the fall of 2019, and according to the Constitution, the maxim number of presidential terms a person may hold is two. The leader of the National Liberal Party Ludovic Orban has hailed the presidents decision and has announced that the Liberals will support the candidacy of Klaus Iohannis for a second term.



    SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY – The Social Democratic Party, the main partner in the ruling coalition in Romania, will keep supporting its president Liviu Dragnea, in all the offices he is holding, both as leader of the party and Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, after he was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months in prison for instigation to abuse of power. Liviu Dragnea has stated he will fulfill the objectives he has set, including the implementation of the governing program. The opposition has criticized the decision of the leadership of the Social Democratic Party. The president of the National Liberal Party Ludovic Orban has stated that the Liberals will try to convince as many MPs of the majority to endorse the no-confidence motion. On Monday, the motion filed by the National Liberal Party, the Save Romania Union and the Peoples Movement Party will be read in plenary parliamentary session and on Wednesday it will be debated and voted.



    VENICE COMMISSION – Representatives of the Romanian Presidential Administration, Parliament and Justice Ministry have attended in Venice the plenary session of the European Commission for Democracy through Law, also known as the Venice Commission. One of the main topics on the meetings agenda was the modifications brought to the justice laws in Romania. The Presidential Adviser Bogdan Dima has stated that the legislative package has lots of deficiencies and the content can and should be substantially improved. According to a communiqué issued by the Presidency, President Klaus Iohannis believes that the adoption of an interim opinion of the Venice Commission is extremely important for the entire justice system in Romania. The Chairman of the Parliamentary committee in charge with the justice laws, Florin Iordache, attended the proceedings as well, and has stated that the recommendations made by the Venice Commission are extremely important to Romania. He has also stated that the three justice laws are in line with the standards set by the Commission. The modifications brought to the justice laws by the coalition formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats have been criticized by the right-wing opposition, magistrates associations and many civil society representatives.



    TRANSDIESTR – The UN General Assembly has adopted the draft resolution proposed by Chisinau, alongside other 10 countries, including Romania, which calls for the withdrawal of Russian troops and ammunition from the Transdniester region of the Republic of Moldova, Romanias neighbor with a predominantly Romanian – speaking population. The project was approved with 64 votes for, 15 against and 83 abstentions. The Russian Federation delegation voted against and have stated that the document will undermine negotiations on the Transdniester issue. The Moldovan Prime Minister Pavel Filip has hailed the document, just like the Romanian Foreign Ministry. There are some 1000 Russian soldiers from the former 14th Soviet Army deployed in Transdniester, who are guarding armament and ammunition warehouses, as well as 500 soldiers from the peace forces deployed in the security zone along Dniester. There are also troops subordinated to the separatist regime in Tiraspol, accounting for some 15,000 soldiers. Transdniester went out of Chisinaus authority in 1992, after an armed conflict.



    ROMANIAN BLOUSE – The Universal Day of the Romanian Blouse is celebrated on June 24th. Ia, the Romanian traditional blouse, is an emblematic piece of the national traditional costume and also a symbol of Romanian culture. On January 21st, 2013, the online community “La Blouse Roumaine” proposed the midsummer day, when magical fairies, believed to bring fertility and prosperity are celebrated, to also celebrate the Romanian traditional blouse. In the meantime the event has become global, and it is now celebrated in more than 50 countries. Traditional exhibitions and fairs are open all across the country, but also abroad in Beijing, Berlin, Budapest, Chisinau, Istanbul, London, Madrid, Paris, Rome, Warsaw, Vienna and Washington.



    TENNIS – The Romanian tennis player Mihaela Buzarnescu, number 29 in the WTA rankings, lost on Saturday the match against the Czech Petra Kvitova (no. 8 WTA), thus failing to qualify for the final of the Birmingham tournament, with 850,000 dollars in prize money. In the final, Kvitova will play against the Slovak Magdalena Rybarikova (no. 19 WTA), who defeated in the semifinals the Czech Barbora Strikova.




  • July 21, 2017 UPDATE

    July 21, 2017 UPDATE

    Chisinau — The Moldovan PM, Pavel Filip, thanked neighboring Romania for the consistent support provided to this ex-Soviet state with a majority Romanian-speaking population. He made this statement after his meeting in Chisinau with his Romanian counterpart Mihai Tudose, with whom he talked about intensifying bilateral cooperation. In turn, PM Tudose said the relationship between Romania and the Republic of Moldova was more than special. The Romanian PM did not have any meeting scheduled with the pro-Russian Socialist president Igor Dodon. Mihai Tudose’s visit to Chisinau was the second visit abroad in his capacity as PM, in which he was designated at the end of June. Last week Tudose went to Brussels where he told the EU officials that Romania had the huge task of making sure that Moldova was on a pro-European path.



    Transdniester — The Moldovan Parliament on Friday passed a declaration through which they ask for the withdrawal of the Russian troops from Transdniester (a pro-Russian separatist region in the east of Moldova). According to the declaration, 25 years after the end of hostilities in Transdniester, the sides still do not observe the provisions of the Agreement on the peaceful resolution of the conflict. The Moldovan Parliament says the Russian troops still stationed in Transdniester represent an infringement of the constitutional provisions regarding Moldova’s independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and neutrality as well as a violation of the international law. The document calls on Russia to resume and finalize the withdrawal of its troops. Transdniseter de facto went out of the control of the Moldovan authorities in 1992, after an armed conflict that killed hundreds of people and that was ended following the Russian troops’ intervention on the side of the separatists.



    Measles epidemic — In Romania, the number of deaths caused by measles reached 32, the National Center for Monitoring and Control of Communicable Diseases announced on Friday. The Health Ministry officials this week started a public information campaign meant to encourage vaccination. Also the line minister, Florian Bodog, announced that a package of measures would be applied in partnership with the Interior Ministry aimed at curbing the effects of the measles epidemic. Romania has been facing the biggest measles epidemic of the past years. So far, more than 8 thousand cases have been reported.



    International Tennis Federation — The coach of Romania’s Fed Cup team, the former tennis player Ilie Năstase, has been suspended from any official position he was holding until 2021, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) announced on Friday. According to this organization, at a match held in Romania against the UK, in April, he used insulting words against Romania’s adversaries, against a referee and a journalist. Also Ilie Năstase received a fine worth 10 thousand dollars. According to the president of the Romanian Tennis Federation, George Cosac, the ITF’s decision is too tough and the accusations leveled against Năstase exaggerated. Năstase and the Romanian Tennis Federation can appeal the decision in an independent court in 3 weeks time. Ilie Năstase, 71, won 2 Grand Slam titles in the 1970s, being the first world leader in the tennis history. (translation by L. Simion)

  • Transdniester: Long-Term Separatism

    Transdniester: Long-Term Separatism

    On Thursday, the leader of the separatist regime in Transdniester, Yevgeny Shevchuk, signed a decree saying the region should join Russia, in line with the results of a referendum held on September 17, 2006. In 2006, over 98% of the residents of Transdniester voted to join the Russian Federation. Under Shevchuks decree, the legislation of Transdniester is to be adjusted to the Russian one. Through this move Shevchuk is trying to grant legal status to an anomaly that has started a quarter of a century ago.



    Transdniester split from Moldova in 1992, after an armed conflict that killed hundreds of people and ended with the intervention of the Russian troops on the side of the separatists. Having gained its independence from Moscow only months earlier, Moldova, back then a young republic, found itself in the situation of having to send police forces and volunteer brigades, armed with light weapons, to fight against the tanks of the former Red Army. Russia, though the voice of the then president Boris Yeltsin, committed itself ever since the 1999 OSCE summit in Istanbul to withdrawing its troops from Transdniester, but it has not kept its promise to this day.



    Under the protection of the Russian troops stationed there, the separatist regime has constantly consolidated its position, although the so-called republic is not internationally recognized. All subsequent attempts to resolve the frozen conflict have failed. Tiraspol continues to refer to Transdniester as an independent state, while Chisinau pleads for reunion and offers to give a special status to this region.



    A dinosaur reserve – this is how the international media defines this region, where the statues of Lenin and Communist symbols such as the sickle and hammer have been kept intact, notions like human rights are still unheard of, while trafficking in weapons, drugs and even human beings is the most profitable activity. Commentators in Chisinau, quoted by Radio Romania correspondents, say that Shevchuks recent move is simply populist. A so-called presidential election has been scheduled for December as the separatist leader is trying to win back the voters, after the ongoing economic crisis made him less popular.



    In Bucharest, President Klaus Iohannis defines Shevchuks decree as “provocative rhetoric, in the context of the so-called presidential elections in the region. Geopolitical experts have pointed out that the leader in Transdniester is Moscows puppet and have warned that the situation in that region has all the necessary ingredients for the Crimean scenario to be repeated. We remind you that Russia annexed Crimea two years ago, following the result of a so-called referendum that has not been recognized by the international community.


    (translated by: Elena Enache)

  • Transdniester – a frozen conflict

    Transdniester – a frozen conflict

    For political analysts with a good memory, the Ukrainian crisis this year is nothing but a reenactment of the geo-political and war games Russia played 25 years ago. At a smaller scale, in lab conditions if you like, what happened in Crimea in spring and in Donbas in summer was patented in Transdniester in the early 90s. With only 40% ethnic Romanians and the rest of Ukrainians and Russians, the region had been forcing its way out of the republic even prior to the break up of the Soviet Union. The separatists’ main argument, albeit ungrounded, was that the Republic of Moldova could have become part of Romania, to which it had actually belonged until its annexation by Stalin back in 1940.



    The secessionists saw their dream come true in 1992, when the former Soviet republic, which had proclaimed its independence a year before, had to concede defeat in an armed conflict, which left hundreds of dead and was settled with the intervention of the Russian troops on the separatists’ side. Initially presented as a punctual mission, the presence of the Russian troops in Transdniester became permanent.



    It’s already been 15 years since the OSCE summit in Istanbul, when Russia, led at that time by president Boris Yeltsin, pledged to pull out its troops and weaponry from the east of the Republic of Moldova. Under president Vladimir Putin, Moscow’s troops deployed in Transdniester have changed only their name; from occupation troops, which they are de facto, overnight they were called peacekeepers.



    Last week, from the rostrum of the United Nations General Assembly, the Republic of Moldova’s Foreign Minister, Natalia Gherman stood again for the pull out of the Russian contingent and its replacement with an international civilian mission. The presence of the Russian troops in Transdniester has been spawning additional obstacles to the peace process, Mrs. Gherman bluntly put it, hinting at the almost never-ending 5+2 talks, which brought together the representatives of Chisinau, of the separatists, Russia, Ukraine and the OSCE, with the EU and the USA as observers.



    Also in New York, concurrently with the UN General Assembly proceedings, Romanian Foreign Minister, Titus Corlatean, reiterated the top priority importance Romania attaches to the settlement of the frozen conflict in the neighboring Republic of Moldova. Reaching a political agreement based on observing Moldova’s territorial integrity and sovereignty with a special political status for Transdniester remains a main objective of the pro-Western government in Chisinau and its partners in Bucharest, Brussels and Washington. However, everyone knows that nothing can change in Transdniester without a green light from Moscow, the protector and financial supporter of the secessionists.