Parliament urges Russian Duma to abstain from supporting separatism

The Parliament of the R. of Moldova makes an appeal to the state Duma of the Russian Federation to abstain from supporting separatism, which affects not only the respective states but may affect even Russia, with unforeseeable consequences for the whole European continent, says a declaration of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, as response to a declaration of the Russian Duma concerning Transnistria’s referendum. On October 6, 2006, the State Duma of the Russian federation adopted a declaration concerning the results of the so-called referendum from the Transnistria region of Moldova. The Parliament of RM ascertains with worry that by adopting this declaration Russian MPs question the territorial integrity of the R. of Moldova, the text of the declaration defying not just the spirit but also the substance of the basic political treaty between RM and the Russian Federation, article no. 5 of which stipulates that sides condemn separatist movements, as well as the norms and principles of the international law. The Parliament ascertains with regret, that the mentioned declaration is totally opposed to the recent declarations of President Vladimir Putin, who, referring to the negotiations for settling the Transnistrian conflict, pronounced upon in what concerns the inadmissibility of revising the principles of territorial integrity in the contemporary world. According to the MPs from Chisinau, recognizing the Transnistrian referendum as an act of free expression of citizen’s will, Russian MPs forgot important aspects, such as the inexistence of democratic institutions in Transnistria, penal pursuit of the persons who pronounce for the reintegration with RM, the total control of the civil life by the repressive services in Transnistria. Moldova’s Parliament expresses its hope that Russian MPs will show more objectivity and competence in the process of elaborating declarations concerning RM. Only this way they could bring their contribution to the regulation of the Transnistrian conflict and the amelioration of the Moldovan-Russian relations, the cited declaration says. Several opposition MPs qualified the declaration as being too “soft” and solicited introducing of several modifications. These weren’t accepted, though, and the declaration was voted by the majority of MPs, with a single vote against.