The Republic of Moldova must take advantage of the international conjuncture and insist that the Transnistrian problem be part of the package of negotiations between the West and Russia on peace in Ukraine, doctor of history, former ambassador Mihai Gribincea stated in IPN’s public debate "Russian factor in the Transnistrian conflict: past, present and future". According to him, together with the end of the war in Ukraine, Kyiv will not accept Russian troops behind it, and Chisinau must take advantage of this situation and insist on resolving the Transnistrian conflict.
The historian explained that the constitutional authorities in Chisinau should change the approach to the Transnistrian conflict, officially declare this territory occupied by Russia and negotiate directly with Moscow the withdrawal of troops from the left bank of the Nistru.
"I have a more radical approach. I think the Republic of Moldova is acting incorrectly by trying to negotiate with Tiraspol. The regime in Transnistria was created by Russia. Transnistria is a territory occupied by Russia, at the head of this region are Russian citizens. And then the question arises, why are we negotiating with Transnistria and not negotiating with Moscow? In Istanbul, a decision favorable to Moldova was obtained, by which Russia was obliged to withdraw its troops from Transnistria. So, we should also use the issue of negotiations with Tiraspol. To reach this stage, the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova must declare Transnistria a territory occupied by Russia, as Georgia did, but they admit that they did it late, after Abkhazia was occupied by Russian troops in 2008. They adopted a law on the occupied territories and this is what the Republic of Moldova should do - adopt a law on Transnistria as an occupied territory - and all the consequences will follow. If it is a territory occupied by Russia, discussions must be held with Russia," said ex-ambassador Mihai Gribincea.
According to the diplomat, favorable conditions for the settlement of the Transnistrian conflict can be created in the not too distant future. The official Chisinau must strongly request the Western chancelleries so that the Transnistrian issue is included in the package of negotiations on peace in Ukraine.
"In the near future, we will have a window of opportunity to raise the issue of the Transnistrian conflict and Russian troops, when a peace or a truce between Russia and Ukraine will be concluded. The Transnistrian issue must be part of the package of talks between the West and Russia on Ukraine, and Transnistria must be part of this package. I don't think it will be convenient for Ukraine to conclude a truce and remain with Russian troops behind it and a region controlled by Russia. I think there are chances, but I don't know if the authorities are doing anything in this regard. Now we should take steps in various capitals so that the Transnistrian problem is part of the package for solving the crisis in Ukraine. I don't think it would be acceptable for Ukraine to have a Russian-controlled region behind it," said the historian.
The diplomat explained that Chisinau should officially give up the 5+2 negotiation format, which proved its inefficiency. The format includes Chisinau and Tiraspol as parties to the conflict, the OSCE, the Russian Federation and Ukraine as mediators, and the European Union and the U.S. as observers.
"Since when the 5+2 format was not convened? This format has shown its lack of efficiency. Now that Russia, one of the parties, is an aggressor state in relation to Ukraine, we can no longer talk about a 5+2 format. Obviously, Russia is interested in reviving this format, but Chisinau would make a big mistake if it accepted this. We must officially declare that this 5+2 format is no longer acceptable for the Republic of Moldova and look for other ways to negotiate the fate of Transnistria. We must now take advantage of the international conjuncture in which our interests are also taken into account," said Mihai Gribincea.
The public debate entitled "Russian factor in the Transnistrian conflict: past, present and future" is part of the series of debates "Development of political culture through public debates". IPN Agency carries out this project with support from the German Hanns Seidel Foundation.
