“Is somehow Krasnoselski the counterpart of Dodon, the head of a state?” political commentator Nicolae Negru asks himself in an opinion article entitled “’High-level’ meeting between two marionettes”. The author also provides an answer. “Yes, he is, if we decipher the ‘subtleties’ from the press release of the presidential press service of Moldova,” says the commentator, quoted by IPN.
Nicolae Negru notes that Tiraspol, which is less sensitive to the interpretations of Chisinau, say things clearer: a meeting of the ‘presidents’ of Pridnestrovie (Transnistria) and the Republic of Moldova was held in Tighina on January 4. The Russian press also reported about the ‘historical meeting of the presidents’ of the aforementioned ‘countries.
As to Igor Dodon’s statement that this was the first high-level meeting after eight years, Nicolae Negru said this is not correct at least from chronological viewpoint. The last meeting of Vladimir Voronin and the Transnistrian leader Igor Smirnov took place, in the presence of the then President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev, not in 2008, but on March 18, 2009 in Barviha.
The commentator also asks himself if the meetings of Vlad Filat and Igor Smirnov at the Sheriff stadium in Tiraspol, of Iurie Leanca and Yevgheny Shevchuk in Germany weren’t ‘high-level’ ones. “Or the level of Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova is not sufficiently prestigious for the ‘president’ of a ‘republic’, which, at least officially, forms part of the Republic of Moldova?”, he asked.
According to the commentator, Igor Dodon promises that a new ‘high-level’ meeting will take place in the nearest future to discuss a ‘set of solutions’ to the problems raised last Wednesday, but he actually tries to implement Russia’s plan to obtain, at the first stage, concessions that would offer benefits and the comfort of a recognized state to the Transnistrians, without accepting the Moldovan nationality. If the separatist state is recognized de facto, there will be only one step towards Moldova’s federalization. This will be favorable to Russia as it will put the burden of maintaining the Transnistrian region on the frail shoulders of Moldova and, implicitly, of Romania and the West in general, recovering instead the leverage of influence over the internal and foreign policy of Chisinau.
The commentator says now Igor Dodon assumes the role of Trojan Horse of Russia in the fortress of Chisinau. His meetings with Krasnoselski are meetings of marionettes that are different because one behaves like a real ‘president’, while the President of Moldova humiliates himself and sullies his post and the country’s sovereignty and independence whose guarantor he should be.
