Cooperation proposal with Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Transnistria to be examined by Russian Duma Wednesday

Following an initiative of the Russian State Duma’s committee for CSI and relations with fellow citizens, the chamber will consider the proposal on the cooperation with Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Transnistria on March 19, committee chairman Aleksey Ostrovsky has announced. Meanwhile, debates on the results of the hearings on the request to recognize those three self-styled republics in the Duma are in full swing in Tiraspol, Info-Prim Neo’s reporter in the Transnistrian area says. According to the Russian press, Alexey Ostrovsky has also stated that, during the debates in the Low Chamber, they will also draft recommendations to the Russian President, Government and Foreign Ministry to change the format of the relationships with the unrecognized republics. At the same time, the CIS-dealing committee will propose the Russian leadership to re-consider the issue of opening Russian missions in the “capitals” of Transnistria, Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Tiraspol-based analysts find that the 13 March hearings in the Duma brought no essential changes in the situation of recognizing the three republics. Experts do not expect such a step on behalf of Moscow, under the circumstances when many similar situations exist on Russia’s federal territory. The Duma’s influence on taking cardinal political decision practically equals to nothing. All the decisions, favorable to the Tiraspol administration, passed for years with the mighty support of leader Igor Smirnov’s advocates in Moscow were not but mere declarations. Referring to the relationships between Chisinau and Tiraspol, Igor Smirnov told a Russian TV, that totally different generations had grown up on both banks of the Nistru, who cannot be united. Smirnov mentioned his republic was ready to talk equally with Moldova, but those relations should later be based on the existence of two states. The Tiraspol leader accused president Vladimir Voronin of organizing a informational and economic blockade in the relationships with Transnistria, of not observing 64 accords signed by the sides and of not signing the Kozak Memorandum. “Voronin used to state Moldova would join the Union of Russia and Belarus and would confer official status to Russian, what has not happened exactly. Instead, there is a crucial will – to grasp Transnistria’s wealth,” Smirnov said. In an interview for the Russian newspaper Kommersant, Smirnov also said there could be no question of a common state of Moldova with Transnistria, because the “Transnistrian people”, at the referendum of 17 September 2006, voted for independence and integration into the Russian Federation, and Moldova’s leadership needs „but Transnistria’s wealth, not the Transnistrian people.” Igor Smirnov considers that „the republic is actually recognized, because the local businesses export to 78 countries.”