The Republic of Moldova’s accession to the European Union is the chance of reintegration for the two banks of the Nistru River. At the moment, when Moldova is in the process of negotiations, including with the support of foreign partners, Chisinau has a number of instruments of pressure that it can apply with regard to the Transnistria administration, Ph.D. in sociology Tatiana Cojocari stated in a public debate hosted by IPN News Agency.
The permanent expert of IPN’s project noted that the right bank could become the protector of the Transnistrian region if it were a little more involved and if it communicated more efficiently.
Tatiana Cojocari said that the integration of the Republic of Moldova into the EU and the reintegration of the two banks are two interconnected processes. With the signing of the Association Agreement and the liberalization of the visa regime, the citizens on the left bank have enjoyed a number of benefits. There are over 300,000 people in the region who hold the citizenship and passport of the Republic of Moldova.
Tatiana Cojocari said that the Transnistrian region, compared to Gagauzia, is in a much more difficult situation. It is close to a warzone. It has a foreign army on its territory. "The risk and danger of the Transnistrian region being involved in an armed conflict has increased greatly. And the risk of the region being used by Russia in the war in Ukraine has increased a lot," explained the doctor of sociology.
According to Tatiana Cojocari, the people in the region look at the right bank as at a chance for protection. "If we really want to go and lay the foundations of a project for the reintegration of the two banks, this needs to be a project that is supported by the population on both banks," noted the expert.
Tatiana Cojocari said that perceptions are changing on the left bank of the Nistru and this is also confirmed by an online survey that covered a sample of over 400 respondents. The research shows that over 35% of the population on the left bank support the accession of the Republic of Moldova to the EU. At the same time, 45% of the respondents said they support the reintegration of the two banks of the Nistru.
"The unrecognized leaders in Tiraspol are businessmen and want to maintain the status quo just to get rich. As we have external partners, they can help us put pressure on these unrecognized leaders in the Transnistrian region and somehow increase our role in the region," stated the expert.
She noted that in the region, as in the whole of Moldova, there are people who have cultural affinities or sympathy with the Russian Federation and this fact should not be ignored. Especially since, for 30 years, they have been told that Russia is the protector of the region. But the study shows that almost 25% of the people who live on the left bank say that the Russian Federation is a security danger for the region.
Tatiana Cojocari believes that the current regional context offers Chisinau more pressure tools. "Unfortunately, I haven't seen this before. We hope to see this on the part of the Government in Chisinau from now on. We offer you concessions, you can be part of the accession process, but you, in turn, have to implement particular things," said the doctor of sociology.
The public debate entitled "The Transnistrian region in the context of the process of Moldova's accession to the EU" was held as part of the project "IPN News Agency for Social Cohesion and a Pro-European Moldova", which is funded by IMS.
