... Mayr-Harting, Special Representative of OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the Transdniestrian Settlement Process.
Other RIAC guests included: Robert Gerschner, Plenipotentiary Minister of the Austrian Embassy in Moscow; Claus Neukirch, Head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova; Kevin Tait, representative of the OSCE Secretariat in Vienna; and Leo Vass, Second Secretary of the Swedish Embassy in Russia. In the course of the meeting the sides discussed state and prospects of the Transdniestrian settlement, Russia-Moldova ...
... structures of which Romania is a member, even considering going as far as full integration with the rebirth of a "Greater Romania," which brought the two states together from 1918 to 1940. This prospect is not acceptable to the Gagauz and Transnistrians, but also to many citizens and Moldovan elites, as the country would become an impoverished region of Romania with no control over its future.
Romania's proactive approach is a source of apprehension for Russian speakers and an argument in favour of Transnistrian and Gagauz separatism....
..., means that the country has found itself on the side-lines of innovation. On the whole, we can predict that Moldova’s drive towards closer ties with Romania will intensify in the next few years.
A Country with a Frozen Conflict
Andrey Devyatkov:
Moldova and Transnistria: the Spectre of Federalization
The forecast devotes a great deal of space to the Transnistria issue. The author correctly identifies the attempts of the European Union to “tame” Transnistria, Russia’s declining share in Transnistrian ...
... this sense, the country has successfully survived the previous several decades. It is, however, evident that Russia will perceive the potential threats associated with Belarus very painfully and certain forces might attempt to take advantage of this.
Moldova and Transnistria: continuing freeze
Sergey Rekeda:
The Union State of Russia and Belarus: Searching for a Development Vector
Transnistria can be described as a textbook post-Soviet example of a frozen, unresolved conflict. The territory is entering the new ...
... Kozak Memorandum. In particular, Dodon has stated that the final draft of the settlement is to be approved through a national referendum, rather than by a theory-based decision. He also believes the draft document will have to be a compromise between Moldova, Transnistria, Russia, the European Union, the United States and Ukraine. Finally, Dodon is not fixated on the idea of federalization which, after 2003, became toxic in Moldova because it is associated with the notion of pro-Russian Transnistria and Gagauzia ...
... territorial integrity is still on the agenda and that integrity cannot be questioned. However, from the conflict perspective, there are no attempts to force changes, and changes appear to be unlikely in the foreseeable future.
As for the conflict in Transnistria, there are some positive dynamics due to Igor Dodon’s victory in the presidential election. While frequent meetings of a post-Soviet state leader with the Russian counterpart are a rare occurrence, Dodon has already met twice with Vladimir ...
... (especially its military influence) on the Dniester and in the post-Soviet space as a whole. And they are not prepared to discuss in a substantive manner the compensatory mechanisms in the event that Russia agrees to actively assist the integration of Moldova and Transnistria. In this process, the interests of Russia and the PMR are regarded as an inherently important, but rather destructive factor that impedes the quick Europeanization and democratization of Moldova.
Given this set of issues, “a large deal” ...
... Transnistria in the Ukraine context, because Russian-Ukrainian relations present a key factor for the TMR survival. The inclusion of Tiraspol into the bilateral conflict does not match the interests of Transnistria and Russia. For the length of the Moldova-Transnistria conflict, Ukraine's goodwill or neutrality for a long time served to maintain vital communications channels, whereas their destruction would bring damage far beyond military transit. Hence, the desecuritization of the Transnistrian-Ukrainian ...
... promote the introduction of Customs Union standards in Transdniestria, as well as opening certification and testing centres accredited with the Customs Union.
Possible political space for compromises on trade-related issues
www.noi.md
Pavel Kandel:
Transnistria in the Shadow of the Ukraine Crisis
From a technical point of view, Transdniestria and the Republic of Moldova could identify compromises for creating a regional free trade area, and could even expand it to include elements of a common economic space, in particular, harmonising their trade regimes with certain third countries. From a political point of ...
... area between Moldova and the European Union that does not include Transnistria could seriously damage the region’s economic situation, depriving it of both the European and the Moldovan markets. According to a governmental report, 40 per cent of Transnistria’s export goes to Moldova, with 33.6 per cent being directed to the European Union and 7.8 per cent to Ukraine. Customs Union countries (Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan) accounted for just 18.2 per cent of Transnistria’s export, with Russia making up 17.6 per cent....
