We will do everything possible for Ukraine and Moldova to become reliable partners of the European community - interview by Info-Prim Neo with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Moldova Serghei Pirojcov

[ - What special significations does the 16th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence have? Did Ukraine manage to come closer to the major objectives set 16 years ago?] On August 24, 1991 the Supreme Soviet of Ukraine approved the country’s Independence Act. Sixteen years have passed since then, period during which a lot of things have changed. Ukraine witnessed successes and failures, learning from every experience. The Ukrainian people coped with many challenges in the process of forming an independent state, passing successfully the maturity test. The irreversible democratic reforms, the lack of ethnic conflicts and the consolidation of efforts in promoting European values became the defining elements of the statality. Now Ukraine is going through a new stage in the implementation of political reforms, which is designed to ensure profound systematic transformations in compliance with the standards of a democratic state of law with a socially-oriented market economy. Given the stable economic situation, Ukraine has seen considerable rises in the export of goods and services. The volume of foreign investment in economy has rapidly increased in the past years. The construction sector is developing progressively. The population’s incomes and consumption also go up. The Gross Domestic Product has increased by about 8% during the last years. The industrial production volume grows by 12-15%, while the agri-food production by 3-6% yearly. The foreign investments made in Ukraine in the past two years are estimated at over 10 bln USD. This sum is larger than the volume of aggregate investments made in the first 14 years of independence. [ - How would you describe the Moldovan-Ukrainian political relations? What are the latest tendencies?] The development of good relations with the neighbors, including with the Republic of Moldova, is one of the priorities of Ukraine’s foreign policy. Moldova is an important state for Ukraine – because we have a common border and because the two states are home to approximately 600,000 Ukrainian ethnics and, respectively, 350,000 Moldovan ethnics. Also, the bilateral economic cooperation has great prospects. Throughout history, the Ukrainians and Moldovans lived alongside, sharing the joys and grieves. The historical destinies of Ukraine and Moldova have crossed each other: through the marriage of Stephan the Great and the Princess of Kiev Eudochia, by defending the freedom of Ukraine and Moldova in the battles of Timos Hmelinitchii in Moldova and of Dimitrie Cantemir in Ukraine, and through the activity of the great scholars of the Christianity - Petru Movila in Ukraine and Petru Velicicovschi in Moldova. There are also special circumstances – the breakaway ‘Moldovan Nistrean Republic’ is located on the territory of Moldova. Being directly interested in consolidating the stability and security in the region, Ukraine takes part in the settlement of the Transnistria conflict. I can say that the political relations between Ukraine and Moldova are dynamic on the whole. There is a rather intense dialogue between the administrations of the two states. The foreign priorities coincide greatly and are not contradictory. The joint interest in developing multilateral relations and in joining the European Union make Ukraine and Moldova become natural allies and strategic partners. There are practically no political problems between the two states. Ukraine and Moldova cooperate efficiently within the international organizations. I admit, we also have unsolved problems in the bilateral relations, but they are mostly economic and appeared after the former Soviet Union dissolved. The fact that these problems have not been solved during the 16 years of independence influences in a way the development of the bilateral relations. But now, in concert with colleagues from Moldova, we are trying to identify mutually acceptable solutions and I’m sure that in the near future we will be able to work out ways of settling them and to present the solutions to the Presidents of Ukraine and Moldova. I refer to Moldova’s properties in Ukraine and to the electric power station Novodnestrovsc, to the ecological problems related to the functioning of the oil terminal in Giurgiulesti and to the cleaning systems on the Nistru, etc. [ - In the context of the political relations, please express your opinion about Ukraine’s current position and role in settling the Transnistria conflict. How would you comment on Tiraspol authorities’ assertions that by approving and interfering in the activity of the EU Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine, your country has transformed into a party of the conflict.] The position of Ukraine as guarantor country in the settlement process remains unchanged: the conflict must be solved by observing the democratic values, the principles of supremacy of law; by guaranteeing the rights and fundamental freedoms of the citizens, the respect for the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova, and by taking account of the interests of Transnistria’s residents. For Ukraine, this is one of the most important national security matters. During the settlement process, the Kiev authorities expressed their firm conviction that a comprehensive and stable settlement method can be worked out only in cooperation with all the sides involved. Using the mentioned principles as basis, in 2005 the Ukrainian authorities proposed a plan for settling the dispute known as the Yushchenko Plan, which was officially accepted for talks, coordinated and approved by all the sides. Now as before, the Ukrainian side is ready to discuss the content of this document by introducing modifications that can hasten the identification of real and mutually acceptable solutions for definitively solving the conflict. I think that the basic directions proposed by Ukraine remain up to date. Unfortunately, the conflict settlement talks in the 5+2 format are now blocked and not through the fault of the guarantors or observers. The lack of dialogue between the conflicting sides generates a wide range of problems in the relations between Chisinau and Tiraspol and this influences both the level of trust between them and the daily life of the ordinary people. Kiev makes maximal efforts to make the talks in the 5+2 format recommence. It carries out consultations with other guarantors and the observers and with Chisinau and Tiraspol. In June Ukraine proposed holding a new round of 5+2 talks in Vinita. We consider that there are no major impediments at the moment to resuming the talks in the mentioned format, but, for certain reasons, the consultations did not take place. In our opinion, the 5+2 talks participants should focus on the formulation of a special status for Transnistria within a territorially integral Moldova and of a mechanism of guarantees for maintaining the peace. In such conditions, the categorical rejection of the earlier agreements between Chisinau and Tiraspol seems unconstructive as this does not contribute to the strengthening of trust between the parties. I would like to mention that the parties should not shift the blame for lack of progress in the talks onto the guarantors and observers. It is important to remember that only the residents from the two banks of the Nistru will live in a unified Moldova. The role of mediator is to contribute to the fortification of the trust and to the development of ties between the conflicting sides. Ukraine will ultimately accept the understandings that Chisinau and Tiraspol will reach. As regards the EU Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine, this initiative is an element of the Yushchenko Plan that was earlier accepted for implementation by all the participants in the talks, including Tiraspol. Moreover, the Tiraspol authorities declared more than once that the idea of European monitoring on the Transnistrian segment of the Moldovan-Ukrainian border belonged to them. It is due to the efficient cooperation between the customs and border services of Moldova and Ukraine and the EU Border Assistance Mission that the international community does not name the given border segment as black spot anymore. The sides established a more consistent and regular information exchange. They carry out joint operations on the border. Ukraine considers the Mission’s activity on the whole as rather effective and useful. Recently, it was decided to extend the Mission’s mandate for another two years. [ - What is your opinion about the current economic relations between the two states? What possibilities remain unemployed and what can be done to implement them?] I think that the universal index for assessing the level of economic cooperation is the volume of trade between the two countries. It has considerably increased during the past years. In the past five years alone, trade between Moldova and Ukraine has risen over threefold. The respective tendency is characteristic of 2007 too. Trade between the two states in the first five months of this year increased by 25.7% compared with the corresponding period last year, up to 282 mln USD. Currently, Ukraine tops the list of Moldova’s commercial partners. It is a pleasure to say that the bilateral trade has increased due to the 26% rise in Ukrainian exports to Moldova in five months, and to the 23% rise in Moldovan exports to Ukraine in the same period. Moldova now exports to Ukraine more vegetal products, more products of the lights industry and of the food industry. After Ukraine made the respective decisions, the supplies of Moldovan wine to Ukraine have increased by 40%. Yet, we should not boast with the successes, knowing that we have an unrealized potential that can be used for a more efficient commercial-economic cooperation. In the communication sector for instance, the condition of the roads that unite us leaves much to be desired. Without good roads and modern infrastructure, we cannot extend the cooperation. It is also necessary to reconstruct the old bridges over the Nistru and to build new ones, to increase the capacities of the border crossing points, to ensure a regular air communication. There is a lot to be done yet. We hope that the border regions of the two states, whose relations developed lately, will cooperate more intensely. Representative delegations of Odessa and Cernauti regions had been in Moldova on working visits in April-May 2007 on the invitation of Moldovan Prime Minister V. Tarlev. A delegation from Vinita led by the head of the regional administration A. Dombrovschii is expected to come to Moldova in the near future. There are real prospects for developing the cooperation in the energy sector. Currently, Ukraine supplies Moldova with 70% of its electric power necessities at a much lower price than for the neighboring countries and than the price asked by the Moldovan Power Plant. I would like to stress the opportunity of the joint actions taken to integrate the energy systems of Moldova and Ukraine into the synchronic European energy system UCTE (Union for the Coordination of Transmission of Electricity). We sent a joint application to this organization in April 2006. The integration into UCTE will ensure a stable and reliable functioning of our energy systems, offering us the possibility of exporting to the European states. Speaking about the development of cooperation in the energy system, I cannot pass over a certain moment. The press in Moldova has lately reported broadly on the rise in the price of Ukrainian electricity from 2.7 cents to 3.0 cents per kWh from June 1 and on Ukraine’s intention to build additional power lines in the southwest of Odessa region. Reading some of the publications I got the impression that Ukraine declared an ‘energy war’ on Moldova and that after the power lines that will bypass Moldova are built, it will stop exporting electricity to Moldova and transporting power to Odessa region via Moldova. I ask myself: is this a well-planned attempt to harm the relations between the two states or it is a run after cheap sensations? The price of power was increased objectively following the rise in the price of energy carriers. The price of electricity on the Ukrainian market has long ago exceeded 4.5 cents per kWh. Of course the energy cannot be exported cheaper than its cost price. Moreover, Ukraine agreed to increase the price gradually so as not to create ‘price shocks’. As regards the second topic – the building of power distribution lines in the southwest of Odessa – it was planned long ago and derives from the necessity of making the power supplies to the southwestern and central parts of the region more reliable, as these parts can remain without electricity in winter or when the lines are under repair. This is a problem that we inherited from the former USSR - the energy system was organized in this way - and which we must solve now. There is no ‘energy war’ between Moldova and Ukraine. It was invented by the opponents of the cooperation between the two states. None in Ukraine intends to stop exporting electric power to Moldova. On the contrary, taking into account the fact that the atomic energy is well developed in Ukraine and has lower cost prices, our country will always have possibilities of supplying Moldova with power at convenient prices. It is needed only will to come to an understanding. [ - Are you satisfied with the evolution of the cultural relations between the two countries during their independence period?] It is practically impossible to be satisfied with everything. The cultural relations between the two states are, traditionally, intense. Naturally, they had been negatively influenced by the economic decline of the 90s of the last century. But then they began to develop again. The most significant events in this area in the last years were the organization of the Days of Ukrainian Culture in Moldova and of the Days of Moldovan Culture in Ukraine in 2001-2002. The Ukrainian artists are traditionally present at the festivals “Martisor” and “Maria Biesu Invites”. On the Independence Day of Ukraine, the Shevcenko Days and the Days of Slavic Culture and Writing, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Ukraine provides financial assistance to organize cultural-artistic programs in Moldova with the participation of Ukrainian artists. Taking into account the fact that Moldova is home to over half a million Ukrainians – the most numerous national minority and the second in number by titular nation – it is normal that the insurance of the cultural and education necessities of the Moldovan inhabitants of Ukrainian nationality is the key element of the Moldovan-Ukrainian cooperation in the area of culture. We are firmly convinced that the cultural relations must be developed actively and be represented at the highest artistic level. Therefore, a cultural-informational center that will deal with such problems was set up as part of the Ukrainian Embassy this year. [ - How do you think, how do the Diasporas of the two states feel, especially in the period of their independence, when the merits as well as the probable mistakes cannot be attributed to someone else, as in the time of the Soviet Union for example? I would not use the term ‘Diaspora’ with reference to the residents of Moldova and Ukraine and to the inhabitants of Moldovan or Ukrainian nationality respectively. They are sooner autochthonous population with the oldest roots in the given regions and national minorities in the countries of origin. The term ‘Diaspora’ is used to refer to the people that have recently settled in the country, coming from another states. Since our countries obtained independence, the Ukrainian community in Moldova and the Moldovan community in Ukraine enjoyed ample conditions for development. Firstly, one of the attributes of a democratic state is the attitude towards the national minorities. That’s why a country that wants to be civilized will make sure that the rights of the national minorities are fully observed. Secondly, after years of decline in the period of transition, our states have directed their attention towards the compatriots from outside, and not only to ask for help as it happened in the first years of independence, but also to provide them support, offering textbooks, literature, programs of artistic groups as well as financial assistance to organize different cultural-artistic activities. I can give you some examples. Ukraine sponsored the participation of works by painters of Ukrainian origin, members of the foundation “Відродження” from Moldova, in the largest exhibition of the country “Bryncushi’. In 2006, Ukraine provided money to publish the paper “Рідне слово” - the only publication in the Ukrainian language on the left bank of the Nistru. The 20th anniversary of the Choir “Червона калина” in Bender was festively celebrated. In 2007, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine organized a School of Ukrainism in Odessa. It was attended by 15 teachers of Ukrainian language and literature from Moldova. This summer, children of the Ukrainian community in Moldova have spent the holidays and received treatment in the Center “Молодая гвардия” in Odessa town. Ukraine covered the travel and accommodation expenses. Young people from Moldova, including Transnistria, can apply for over 200 scholarships in higher education establishments in Ukraine each year. The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine donated over 4,000 textbooks, literature and periodicals to the Ukrainian language teachers in Moldova. This year, Moldova has been visited by the best artistic groups of Ukraine, in particular by the Choir “Grigorii Veriovca”, which performed in Chisinau, Tiraspol, Bender and Balti as part of the Days of Shevcenko. [ - What similarities and dissimilarities do you see in the political and economic development prospects of Ukraine and Moldova in the near future?] I am sure that our countries will develop successfully and dynamically and will gradually reach the European norms and standards in all the areas of activity. As Ambassador of Ukraine to Moldova, I have the responsibility to contribute to improved bilateral relations and to strengthened friendship and cooperation between the Moldovan and Ukrainian peoples, to make efforts for Ukraine and Moldova to become reliable partners of the European community and to make the problems and regional conflicts remain in the past.