Some 90% of the people from the left bank of the Nistru River have the citizenship of the Republic of Moldova. It is the best indicator when we talk about the prospects of solving the Transnistrian problem, the permanent expert of IPN’s project Igor Boțan stated in a public debate entitled “32 years of an unfinished war”.
The expert referred to the moments when attempts were made to draw Moldova into the dangerous traps of the aggressor state, the Russian Federation, under the pretext of identifying solutions to resolve the Transnistrian conflict. “The first trap was set in July 1992 at the signing of the ceasefire agreement in the Nistru conflict zone. The second trap was staged in the autumn of 1994 at the signing of the agreement between the Republic of Moldova and the Russian Federation on synchronization of the withdrawal of the Russian troops. The synchronization meant, in the end, that the so-called Transnistrian authorities do not accept the leaving of Russian troops from the Transnistrian region, respectively, the Russian Federation does not withdraw them because the Transnistrian leaders do not accept the political settlement of the conflict. Another trap was set in May 1997, when there was talk about a possible confederation between the Republic of Moldova and Transnistria,” stated the expert.
Igor Boțan said that the day of July 3, 2002 is also memorable. The Communists were in power. On that day, Kiev proposed, through the OSCE Mission, a new plan for the federalization of the Republic of Moldova, which provided for the adoption of a new Constitution of the country, copied from the Constitution of the Russian Federation. In this connection, the expert reminded also of the 2003 Kozak memorandum that was rejected by President Vladimir Voronin at the last minute. At the last moment, a clause appeared in the memorandum, saying that a contingent of 2,000 Russian troops will be stationed on the right bank of the Nistru to ensure the implementation of the asymmetric federalization project.
The adoption of the Law on the basic provisions of the special legal status of the localities situated on the left bank of the Nistru (Transnistria) - a framework law providing that the territory of the country is inalienable and the Republic of Moldova is a unitary state – was the final solution identified by the Moldovan authorities.
Igor Boțan responded to those who say that the Republic of Moldova doesn’t have a Transnistrian settlement project. “I can firmly tell them that it has it. It is a 20-year-old project, if we strictly respect the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova”.
According to the expert, as long as there is this Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the official Chisinau must carry out communication work with the citizens from the left bank of the Nistru. 90% of the inhabitants of the region have Moldovan citizenship. This is the best indicator when talking about the prospects for solving the Transnistrian problem. The Republic of Moldova has limited potential for a swift settlement on all dimensions, but this doesn’t mean that our country cannot have well-reasoned policies to regain the territorial integrity of the country,” opined Igor Boțan.
He noted that remembering the events of 1991-1992 is essential. It is necessary to say that the national liberation movement began after the adoption of the 19th CPSU Conference’s Resolution on the democratization of Soviet society. The Moldovan citizens and also the citizens of other union republics believed in the goodwill of those who adopted the resolution. The fact that issues of identity, culture, language were consequently addressed is something normal. The problem resides in how to respond to all these natural demands. The attacking of police stations, involvement of the 14th Army in actions to counter the national liberation movement – these are things that the citizens who want a better future for the Republic of Moldova should remember.
The public debate entitled “32 years of an unfinished war” was the 31st installment of IPN’s project “Impact of the Past on Confidence and Peace Building Processes” which is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation of Germany.
