The less the people know about the Transnistrian conflict, the easier the reaching of a solution to this seems to them. When subtleties become known, including about particular interest in maintaining this conflict on both banks of the Nistru, a settlement does not seem so possible. And this became a rule already, Leonid Litra, researcher of the Kyiv Institute of World Policy, stated in an interview for Radio Free Europe, IPN reports.
The expert said that particular progress was made last yearend, even if this is interpreted in different manners. Some say it is betrayal, while others say it is a step forward. “It depends on how we look at things, but Moldova, regrettably, has among its partners that we consider should be not on our side, but on the side of the truth or, I would say, on the side of the Republic of Moldova, which is a victim in this case, foreign partners that do not support its position,” he stated.
Leonid Litra revealed the OSCE’s position in particular contexts, saying its key mission is to strengthen the territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova, but sometimes this is overlooked as the OSCE wants results. “When military exercises take place, for example, with the participation of the Operational Group of Russian Forces, the so-called illegal troops staying on the left side of the Nistru, the OSCE should have a reaction. There are cases when the OSCE cannot keep silent. Looking at the OSCE at European level from Vienna, there is the format “consensus minus 1”, when a part that is involved or has a conflict of interests in a particular situation can be treated separately,” noted the researcher.
Leonid Litra said it is very hard for him to think up a design of the future settlement, but he can explain how they see the status of Transnistria. “The status of Transnistria is something similar to the status of the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia, for example, or it is only a district of Moldova that enjoys particular benefits, either fiscal or cultural. There are different options. I think Moldova already made it clear that it can be very flexible,” he stated.
The expert also said that the right side for now has few arguments for being attractive. Evidently there are things that improve, but this attractiveness should be very great. The existing results are too small to be noticed on the other side and the people leave from the right bank in large numbers as they do on the left bank of the Nistru as well.
