Nistru war veterans must have a common position in dialogue with authorities

[Info-Prim Neo article from the series “20 years of the start of the war. When should we expect peace?”] Repeat from Fberuary 21 In order to obtain essential results in the dialogue with the government, the associations of participants in the Transnistrian conflict must have a common position and not make the disagreements between them known, considers Andrei Iovu, expert in conflictology of the Public Policy Institute. He stated his opinion in the public debates “Memory obliges. State of division between the participants in the armed conflict on the Nistru: causes and solutions 20 years of the start”. The debates were organized by Info-Prim Neo News Agency. “For example, in Kosovo (which is a partially recognized state that separated itself from Serbia as a result of a civil war – e.n.) the participants in the conflict also have disputes with the authorities. The authorities say the conflict participants total only 15,000-16,000 and there are certain categories of people who want to profit from the conflict and receive certain benefits. The veterans say there were 60,000-65,000 people who fought,” stated Andrei Iovu. He also said that the situation in Bosnia is different. “The participants in the conflict hold high-ranking positions and receive considerable allowances from the government. The participation in the conflict is eulogized, but because of ideological reasons, as the situation in this country is antagonistic,” said Andrei Iovu. The expert stated that the situation Serbia is calmer from this viewpoint. The associations of veterans and volunteers are trying to first of all support each other. “The post-conflict rehabilitation is a rather important aspect for any conflict. I think this should be one of the central elements for the veterans’ associations as the participation in the conflict is a powerful trauma that necessitates effort to be healed,” said Andrei Iovu. According to him, it is important that the volunteers and the veterans have a common position in the dialogue with the government as this will produce notable results. The public debates “Memory obliges. State of division between the participants in the armed conflict on the Nistru: causes and solutions 20 years of the start” form part of the project “Development of political culture through public debates” that includes a series of debates on political culture. It is supported by the German foundation Hanns Seidel. [Mariana Galben, Info-Prim Neo]