Moldova

The Republic of Moldova occupies most of the former MSSR. To the east it borders Pridnestrovie and Ukraine, to the west Romania

CHISINAU (Tiraspol Times) - Since Moldova first obtained its statehood in 1359, at no time in history has the territory of any independent Moldovan state ever included Transnistria. At is largest, the borders of Moldova and Romania never extended beyond the Dniester river.

The Republic of Moldova is home to 3,383,332 people according to its latest official census. This number doesn't include the 555,347 people in Transnistria which Moldova has an unresolved territorial claim over, but where Moldova has never exercised any actual sovereignty since its founding as a republic in 1991 - and where Moldova therefore couldn't carry out a census.

Today's Republic of Moldova consists of the rump Moldavian SSR (MSSR) from the Soviet Union which unilaterally declared independence on 27 August 1991. A year earlier, on 2 September 1990, a smaller part of the then-MSSR - Transnistria - had already declared independence and left the MSSR. This, too, was a unilateral independence declaration just like Moldova's. Only one of these two declarations was recognized by the international community, and the other one wasn't.

Transnistria, whose independence was never recognized, is officially called PMR which stands for Pridnestrovskaia Moldavskaia Respublica. The short-form version of its constitutional name is Pridnestrovie.

Moldova wants to join the European Union and NATO, but the unresolved status of Transnistria (Pridnestrovie) prevents it from doing so. Meanwhile, Pridnestrovie has declared that it has no interest in joining the EU or NATO and that it prefers the status of a perpetual neutral state.

The president of Moldova is Vladimir Voronin whose term ends in 2009. He is a former Soviet general who is today also the head of the Communist Party. Under his rule, human rights organizations report increased corruption and low judicial transparency. His son, Oleg Voronin, is considered one of the richest men in Moldova.

Moldova UN membership on 2 March 1992 and start of war

Moldova joined the United Nations 2 March 1992. This emboldened Moldova because it gave a stamp of approval of its borders (or what Transnistria sees as Moldova’s pretensions to borders) and it immediately created a “surge” in the already-simmering conflict with Transnistria.

Serious historians, even on the Moldovan side, generally agree that the confidence created by UN membership was the key element in causing Moldova to attack. Moldova invaded Transnistria on 2 March 1992, the very same day that it was admitted to the United Nations.

That day, an attempt by Moldovan troops to establish control over the Transnistrian city of Dubossary started the war over Transnistria. A number of deaths occurred on that very first day. Moldovan troops seized weapons from a regiment of the 14th Russian army which at the time is stationed in the mostly Moldovan-inhabited village of Cocieri, near Dubossary.

The war ended four months later, on 21 July 1992, when Moldova was forced to sign a cease-fire and retreat to its own side of the Dniester river.

Moldova's eastern-most border: The Dniester river

Throughout its history Moldova has had various forms and shapes, but never once has its borders extended beyond the Dniester river and included what is today Transnistria (Pridnestrovie).

The current Republic of Moldova, founded in 1991, has never in its current history been able to exercise sovereignty or enforce its territorial claim over Transnistria.

In the past, Moldova only existed once as a sovereign country: From 1359 to 1859, as the Principality of Moldavia.

In 1859, it united with Wallachia as the basis of today's Romania. Until 1940 and the creation of the MSSR within the Soviet Union, Moldova was part of Romania.

At various times in its history, the Principality of Moldavia included the regions of Bessarabia (today's Moldova) and much of Bukovina. But never once in its 500 year history did it ever include Transnistria / Pridnestrovie. At its largest extent, its Eastern-most border always ended at the Dniester River. This is also the border today between Moldova proper and the 'de facto' independent republic of Transnistria.

Having lived apart for the past 17 years, the two sides are developing in different directions. Visitor generally agree that Moldova is a failed state. And while living standards in Transnistria are also low, the small and unrecognized country is overall doing better than its larger and more recognized neighbor.

Destination Chisinau

Chisinau, the capital of the Republic of Moldova, is no tourist attraction. Here is how one visitor described it after a visit in mid-2007:

" - A very unspectacular city, with either communist neighborhoods, often crumbling, or old one-storey houses with no decorations or other interesting features. Garbage everywhere, often in a very dry, dusty place," says Gruia Badescu, a Romanian.

" - Dirty, very dirty, mountains of garbage, people throwing everything everywhere. The Piata Centrala, a total nightmare, with thousands of rather poorly dressed people, scheming taxi drivers, old and horrible buses and minivans going apparently to every village of this Republic, a lot of pollution, weird merchandise, dust, scary looking dogs."

Along with a group of other Romanian visitors, Gruia Badescu subsequently went on to visit Tiraspol, the capital of neighboring Transnistria. This visit also took place in July of 2007 and the contrast with the mismanagement of Moldova was an eye-opener for the group.

" - And then, Tiraspol. Great surprise. Nice socialist-realist buildings, even some older buildings, all renovated, well kept, flowers everywhere, well dressed people. Stores, bars, restaurants, a general impression of prosperity. Big surprise," repeated Badescu.

" - The place looked too well. Much better than any town I've seen in Moldova, better than even Chisinau. No sign of garbage."

Moldova as U.S. vassal state

For most of its history, the Principality of Moldova was a vassal state of the Ottoman Empire. After the Turks left, it came into the fold of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. Now, some say that is has turned into a vassal state of militaristic/imperial U.S. ambitions for expanding its influence.

The United States has for years been Moldova’s largest bilateral aid donor. Its Embassy in Chisinau is the largest of all foreign embassies in the country, and it has a section which actively provides aid and financial grants to groups that work to end Pridnestrovie's statehood. This work was increased after Donald Rumsfeld (as US Defense Secretary) personally visited Chisinau in 2004.

Moldova has tight military cooperation with the United States. In 2003, Moldova and the US European Command signed a memorandum to establish a US Bureau for Military Cooperation in Moldova.

" - The bureau complements the bilateral military cooperation already in place between the United States and Moldova," said Moldova's former ambassador to the United States, Mihail Manoli.

The United States has trained and providing technical assistance to the Moldovan army. In return, Moldova has fully supported the US invasion of Iraq and continues to support it even after many other former allies have left. Moldova has sent soldiers to Iraq as part of the US-led coalition and Moldovan troops are still in Iraq at the current time.

Since 1993 Moldova has been a closely collaborating member country of NATO's Partnership for Peace program. NATO holds annual training exercises in Moldova which are financed entirely with American money. The United States pays Moldova to upgrade its army to NATO standards.

Limited voice for voters in Moldova

Moldova's Constitution was made behind closed doors by a political elite which did not consult with the population.

In contrast, Transnistria's Constitution was. approved in popular referendum. It is among one of the few constitutions in the world to have been ratified by its people in a democratic referendum.

Pridnestrovie is also one of the few states in the world whose existence as created as the result of a popular referendum among its people before the declaration of independence. Moldova never held such a referendum.

Before independence, Mikhail Gorbachev wanted the Soviet Union to hold an all-union referendum on its continued existence under the new winds of Glasnost and Perestroika. Both Moldova and Transnistria were still part of the Soviet Union at the time, and had to follow the decisions from the center. But Moldova was afraid of letting the people decide and didn't allow the referendum to be held. It only went forward in Transnistria, which already governed itself independently of Chisinau (then: Kishinev) at the time.

Moldova and Romania - shared history, shared future

Of the real Moldova, a lot of it lies in today's Romania. Even the original Moldovan capitals - Suceava and Iasi - are now Romanian cities.

Chisinau was a little village on the swampy Bac river in the original, historical Moldova and only started to grow with the arrival of Russians and Jews in 1812.

Moldova considers Mihai Eminescu their poet, despite the fact that he never actually set foot on the territory of the present Republic and that he is actually a Romanian poet.

Chisinau itself displays national symbols that are actually borrowed from Romanian history. Moldovans consider Stefan cel Mare the greatest ruler of Moldova. But most of what Stefan cel Mare did, he did in what is now Romania. All of the churches which Stefan built are to be found in the Romanian Moldova, a Romanian province by the same name as the Republic of Moldova.

The Moldovans are ethnic Romanians and the Moldovan language is identical to Romanian. Before Soviet dictator Josef Stalin grabbed Moldova and forced it into the USSR in 1940, Moldova was part of Romania. Having been one country, most of the Moldovan history is nearly indistinguishable from Romania's.

A recent report issued in Washington D.C. has classified Moldova a failed state. Nearly half of all working-age Moldovans have already left the country, and by 2008 Moldova will be the undisputed world leader in remittances from guest workers as a percentage of GDP.

What the future brings for Moldova is too early to say, but its inhabitants are not content with the current status of a failed state and being Europe's poorest country. Many of them would prefer re-unification with Romania, a country with which Moldova has a long and shared past - both historically and ethnically.

This is preferable to unification with Transnistria. Unlike Moldova and Romania, which have a lot in common, Moldova and Transnistria are very different. They have no different historical pasts and different ethnic compositions: Moldova is more than two-third Romanian, and Slavs are a minority. Whereas Transnistria is two-thirds Slavic, and Moldovans are a minority.

As democracy takes root, more and more Moldovans seek a European future, while in Transnistria the inhabitants consolidate their quest for internationally recognized independence and sovereign statehood.

With no common historical or ethnic bonds, the most probably scenario is that the two sides of the Dniester river will develop in different directions as neighbors and future friends and trading partners. There is little likelihood that Moldova will ever be in a position to start a new war or to dominate Transnistria against the will of its inhabitants. Politically, there is no reason why this should happen and analysts consulted for this article are unanimous that it makes no sense to provoke a new war in Europe over this issue.

See also:
» Moldova should choose Europe instead of Transdniester
» The shared - and not so shared - history of Pridnestrovie and Moldova
» Moldova falling apart as corruption, poverty force half the country to leave