Oazu Nantoi: Corruption hinders settlement of Transnistrian conflict

Corruption and the personal interests of high-ranking officials are the main factors that hinder the settlement of the Transnistrian conflict, considers Transnistrian dispute expert Oazu Nantoi, Info-Prim Neo reports. Oazu Nantoi said that most of the illegal activities, controlled by some of the Moldovan officials, are developed through the Transnistrian region. The former Transnistrian leader Igor Smirnov would tell many things about the illegal businesses of Moldovan officials today. He also said that this conflict does not represent a major objective for being resolved. ”Moldovan society accepted the idea that the country is divided into two and nobody is interested in the fate of this dispute,” stated the expert. ”The interests of the officials hamper the resolution of the Transnistrian dispute. A possible solution to the current situation in Moldova is to hasten the implementation of the reform at the Center for Combating Economic Crimes and Corruption and to create the National Integrity Commission,” Oazu Nantoi said in a meeting with representatives of the mass media. According to him, another solution is to create a balance between the living standards on the two sides of the Nistru River. He believes that it is important to define the notion and conception of this conflict that is interpreted differently by the people. Oazu Nantoi defined the Transnistrian dispute as a conflict between the project to build Moldova and Russia’s ambitions towards Moldova’s statehood.