Moldovan authorities want to shift Transnistrian dispute onto somebody else’s shoulders, expert

“Moldova should impose something on Tiraspol, but it does not want to yet. I’ve got the impression that our government does not want to destroy the region’s status-quo. The authorities want to shift the Transnistrian dispute onto somebody else’s shoulders,” expert of the Institute for Development and Social Initiative “Viitorul” Corneliu Ciurea said, quoted by Info-Prim Neo. ”The politicians are not at all ready. They are not ready to offer seats to Transnistria’s representatives. We indeed do not want to remove the real causes. The created situation suits everyone and nothing is done to change it,” Corneliu Ciurea stated in the program “Fabrica” on Publika TV channel. Victor Gaiciuc, who served as Minister of Defense in 2001-2004, considers that negotiations should be held with Igor Smirnov so as to reunify the country and resolve a number of issues. ”Numerically and by the volume of armament, we are on equal positions with Transnistria. We can impose our strategies only if we have a larger army,” said the former minister. He also said that Vlad Filat and Igor Smirnov are taking steps to improve their ratings. “But we should be more concerned about the existing problems, including the free movement, the respect for the human rights, the free trade. If the country is reunified, we will live better from a number of viewpoints. I’m for the demilitarization of Transnistria through the agency of the international partners. The first step that must be taken is to remove the customs posts. We must have a common currency,” Victor Gaiciuc said in the same program. Political analyst Igor Botan stated that the breakaway republic of Transnistria exists owing to Russia. “Russia maintains Transnistria on a floating line by giving it money. If we internationalize this conflict, we will have to act in accordance with the international standards. Transnistria is fully dependent on Russia, while we depend on the West. That’s why a settlement is now to be reached according to an international formula,” he said. According to Igor Botan, the Moldovans must decide if they are ready to lose the people living on the other bank of the Nistru River. “We must strengthen the confidence building measures so that they help us establish relations as the Transnistrians must see that we are not enemies,” he stated. The participants in the program also pronounced on the meeting of Prime Minister Vlad Filat and the leader of the Transnistrian region Igor Smirnov, which took place at the OSCE head office in Bender on November 21. The two politicians agreed the agenda of the formal talks in the 5+2 format that are to be resumed at the end of this month in Vilnius.