The reunification of Moldova by resolving the Transnistrian conflict implies certain costs. The Moldovan authorities must calculate the necessary financial resources and propose a clear strategy with the measures that should be taken. In a press club meeting at IPN, executive director of the Foreign Policy Association (APE) Victor Chirila said that the almost exclusive stake in the political settlement in the 5+2 format talks and the promotion of confidence-building measures are not enough for preparing the country for the possible reintegration of the Transnistrian region.
Moldova must immediately formulate and implement credible, average and long-term reunification policy that would contain objectives and responsibilities, would mobilize financial resources and would launch active communication with society from both banks of the Nistru River. The APE recommends working out a reunification strategy that will direct the state institutions and society in the process of implementing it.
The strategy should contain an analysis of the political and socioeconomic situation in the Transnistrian region. It must reflect the main challenges, threats and opportunities for settling the dispute and reunifying the country, indicate the sources of financing, assess the possible impact of the reunification and define the mechanism for coordinating and implementing the reunification policy.
Victor Chirila said a plan of action is needed to engage all the governmental institutions in the implementation of the reunification strategy. The ministries should work out sector reunification policies, determine the costs and identify financing.
The APE executive director gave as example the unification of Germany, which cost the German budget the equivalent of €1.3 trillion, €185 billion of which was collected from Germans based on the ‘solidarity tax’ introduced by the Government of Germany in 1991. South Korea in 2012 created a country unification fund that collects money from governmental funds and private donations. This fund is regarded as a symbol of the preparations for the country’s reunification and as an effort to mobilize society for politically supporting the reunification.
Victor Chirila also said that the sector working groups in Moldova should draw up their own pro-active plans that would direct their efforts to creating objective preconditions for building common economic, transport, education, commercial, social, tourism, customs and other areas between the two banks of the Nistru.
