Analyst: Referendum aims at preventing conflict escalation

"Russia Today" is a TV channel covering events in and around Russia. (File photo)

MOSCOW (Tiraspol Times) - The referendum on the status of Pridnestrovie, also known alternately as Transdniester or Transnistria, is a democratic procedure aimed at preventing escalation of the conflict, head of Russia-PMR Information and Analytical Center Alexey Martynov said Sep 17 on the air of the Russia Today TV channel.

“ - I believe, and my opinion is shared by a number of independent observers who closely follow development of the Transdniester conflict, the frozen cold-war condition of the conflict is being extremely heated today. A hot conflict stage lies directly after the current one – another armed confrontation, i.e., a return to 1992.”

In 1992, Moldovan forces attempted to impose its territorial claim on the new and emerging republic, resulting in a war over Pridnestrovie which left between 1,000 to 1,500 people dead until a ceasefire was brokered.

“ - And the referendum is exactly an act of democratic procedure that should draw attention of the international community to the problem and, first of all, to prevent the conflict escalation, to somehow solve the situation by peaceful political means, by means of negotiations and taking into account the will of population of the region,” says Alexey Martynov. (With information from Regnum News)