Wednesday hearings in Duma: mere propaganda, expert

The hearings in the Russian State Duma of March 13 are but another propaganda move meant to mislead the Russian and world’s public opinion, experts assess. South Ossetia, Abkhazia and Transnistria had asked Russia to recognize their independence. The president of the “Promo-Lex” Association, Ion Manole, has told Info-Prim Neo that, by this drive, Russia wants to encourage and feed with hopes the people still hoping Russia may acknowledge these areas. The expert asserts the hearings do not represent serious ground for concern and cannot lead to the recognition of the three republics. Even though Russia resorts to recognizing the republics, it will immediately confront with serious problems domestically. In this regard the Chechen issue is much more important and graver for Russia than the ones of Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and, moreover, of Transnistria. Concerning the proposals of the participants in hearings to open Russian missions on the territory of these republics, Ion Manole specifies this move will clearly be classified by international experts as brutal and unwanted interference into the domestic affairs of a state. The proposed no-tax import of the goods produced in companies with Russian capital in the Transnistrian area will represent a discriminating action in relation with the companies with Russian shares from the rest of Moldova, Ion Manole thinks. Referring to the proposal to develop multilateral relationships in the social-economic and humanitarian areas between Russia and the unrecognized republics, the expert underlines that they do exist already and run counter even the Russian law. The Russian legislation provides for such relationships only in relation with states, not with breakaway areas. Speaking on the request to back up the Russian citizens on the territory of those three republics, the “Promo-Lex” president says this is actually done by any state in relation with its citizens abroad. Yet, the support shall be granted only within the boundaries of the international norms and under coordination with the Constitutional authorities. The request that Russia should oppose to the attempts of external pressure upon the unrecognized republics is contradictory under the circumstances when the only state exerting pressure in Transnistria is the Russian Federation itself.