Tiraspol authorities demand Transnistria’s recognition

In the context of Kosovo’s recognition, the separatist authorities in Tiraspol consider that the immediate recognition of Transnistria will represent a final stage of the process of peacefully and fairly solving the Transnistrian dispute and the contribution of the international community to strengthening regional security and stability, a statement of the so-called Transnistrian foreign ministry said, cited by Info-Prim Neo. According to the cited source, the authorities in Tiraspol followed attentively the developments in Kosovo, but never made a connection with Transnistria. Even so, the proclamation of independence by Kosovo and its recognition are important because they provide a model for solving conflicts based on the peoples’ right to self-determination. Transnistria considers that this model must be used to solve all the conflicts that have similar political, legal and social aspects, says the statement cited by Info-Prim Neo. Kosovo’s parliament unanimously endorsed a declaration of independence from Serbia, in a historic session on February 17. Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci promised a democracy that respected the rights of all ethnic communities. Kosovo’s independence is backed by the United States and a part of the Europeans states. Russia and other EU member states, including Spain and Romania, said they will not recognise Kosovo. The Government of Moldova stated that the possible recognition of Kosovo by a number of UN member states arouses concern in Moldova. Though the Kosovo problem is unique by content, such a settlement formula represents not only a violation of Serbia’s territorial integrity, but also a serious factor that destabilises the situation in Europe, a dangerous stimulant to separatist activity in all the conflict zones, the Moldovan Government considers.