Dmitry Medvedev awards Tiraspol politician Friendship Order

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev Wednesday signed a degree to confer the Friendship Order to Grigore Maracuta, the would-be special representative for inter-paliamentary relations of the Tiraspol unrecognized parliament, Info-Prim Neo reports. According to the official site of the Russian President, Grigore Maracuta is decorated in the capacity of secretary general of the inter-parliamentary assembly of the member states of the Community “For people's democracy and and rights.” The Friendship Order is conferred for “significant contribution in promoting the policy oriented to consolidate the inter-ethnic understanding and the development of friendship relationships among people”. Grigore Maracuta participated in proclaiming the independence of the Moldovan Transnistrian Republic on September 2, 1990. later he occupied high-rank positions in the leadership of the breakaway Transnistrian republic, being one of the politicians with important experience of a Communist activist. In 1991 he was elected as the speaker of the manque parliament, being re-elected in 1996 and in 2000. He is a member of the Respublika Party from Tiraspol that supports leader Igor Smirnov. In 2004, the European Union and the USA included him into the list of Transnistrians banned to travel to those areas.