Experts rule out weapons smuggling from Transnistria

On the main road between Pridnestrovie and Ukraine there is no sign of any weapons smuggling. Nor anywhere else, say specialists

CHISINAU (Tiraspol Times) - After almost two years of constant border control by the European Union, experts now conclude that Transnistria (officially: Pridnestrovie) does not produce weapons or engage in weapons trafficking of any kind.

In two separate reports, French military specialist Arthur Lepic and Moldovan policy analyst Vitalie Andriescu both conclude that EUBAM and other international organizations have clarified the matter and can now with certainty conclude that no weapons smuggling takes place.

Writing for the French news organization VoltaireNet, Arthur Lepic concludes that claims of weapons trafficking from Pridnestrovie are false. The French journalist is a well known specialist in energy and military issues. According to a report published by the United Nations, there is no proof of any kind that Pridnestrovie has been engaged in trafficking or production of weapons since 2001. Even prior to that date, proof is inconclusive, and the government in Tiraspol maintains that it has never been engaged in the sale of weapons - not even prior to 2001.

" - But even if the Pridnestrovian authorities admitted that they actually sold part of the stock [of stored World War II weapons from an old arms depot] on the international market, in particular bound for the Balkans, in the Nineties to face the economic crisis and with the agreement of the Russian army, these activities are finished today," affirms Paris-based Arthur Levic.

" - It is even the opinion of the Ukrainian customs and of EUBAM (European Border Assistance Mission) which for more than a year have assisted with imposing the economic blockade of Pridnestrovie. Unable to choke Pridnestrovie economically and at the same time prove that this kind of trafficking exists, these organizations had to backtrack and refute the claims put forward mainly by the government of Chisinau, the capital of Moldova," says Levic.

Moldova persistently accuses Pridnestrovie of making and selling weapons. No proof has ever been produced, and both EUBAM and the Ukrainian border patrol have stated that there is no evidence to support the Moldova-generated speculation.

" - Ultimately, Pridnestrovie is neither a significant Russian military base today, nor a State trafficker of weapons," concludes Levic's report.

Moldovan analyst considers EUBAM positive

In Chisinau, Moldovan political and security analyst Vitalie Andriescu also disregards official claims from his government that Pridnestrovie produces arms. As part of a lengthy analysis of the democratic development in Pridnestrovie, he also covers Moldovan charges of weapons smuggling and calls these claims "a myth."

Commenting on EUBAM, the European Border Monitoring operation which participates in the blockade of Pridnestrovie, Vitalie Andriescu believes that it has some benefits.

" - First, it dispelled the myth that arms were being trafficked from Transnistria. The permanent inspection of all goods coming from the region did not uncover any attempts to move weapons or ammunition across the border," says Andriescu.

" - Secondly, it gave a decisive blow to the organized smuggling of cigarettes and food which occurred in the recent past. But border monitoring only covers the products that enter the Ukrainian border from Transnistria. At the same time, 'smuggling trails' continue to exist elsewhere: On the borders between Ukraine, Moldova, and Romania."

That EUBAM was designed by hardliners in the European Union to engage in economic blockade of Pridnestrovie is proven by the fact that the mission allows smuggling to take place elsewhere on Ukraine's borders. With a base in Odessa, the largest city close to Pridnestrovie, the EU funded task force concentrates on Pridnestrovie despite the fact that the Moldovan/Ukrainian border is more extensive than the Pridnestrovian/Ukranian border.

" - It is known that the authorities in Transnistria repeatedly invited representatives of the EU and the United States to visit factories in the region and personally check them for signs of any weapons production. But, strangely enough, there has not been any activity by the EU and the United States in this case yet," explains Vitalie Andriescu.

Fear of Iraq-style "false flag" operation

Both Arthur Lepic in France and Vitalie Andriescu in Moldova hint that the continued claims of Pridnestrovie weapons smuggling fit into the picture of a "false flag" operation designed to start a future war in this part of Europe. Otherwise it is hard to understand why arms trafficking accusations continue even though there has never been any proof or even any circumstantial evidence of any kind whatsoever.

" - It would seem that for someone it is still very beneficial to maintain the myth of 'mass production of weapons' in the region and claims of 'covert supplies to terrorists'. Perhaps this is just in case it'll be needed as a pretext for foreign intervention in the future," continue Andriescu.

" - In a similar vein, the first thing that comes to mind is the officially declared reason for the invasion of Iraq by U.S. troops. Same thing. There too, as everyone remembers, the war was preceded by a planted media myth of secret labs in Baghdad for producing weapons of mass destruction, including chemical and biological weapons."

Andriescu explains that among the known facts, foreign representatives from the governments of both Russia and Ukraine have already made on-site inspections of all factories which Moldova claimed were producing weapons in Pridnestrovie.

And, according to Andriescu, they "found absolutely no evidence of any weapons. However, Moldova, the European Union and the United States didn't see it fit to take the conclusions of this inspection into account."

In Pridnestrovie, it is no wonder that ordinary citizens are quickly losing respect for the seriousness of European and American intermediaries.

" - If they claim we make weapons, the first thing they must do is to bring the proof," says a 38 year old resident of Rybnitsa, in the industrial northern part of the unrecognized country.

" - Yes, and they can also come here and see for themselves and inspect everything. If they don't do that, then they have no right to say thing about us which aren't true and have never been true, ever," adds another.

See also:
» UN Report clears Transdniester of weapons smuggling; Praises transparency and co-operation
» Ukraine's State Border Service says Transnistria is not a "black hole"
» EU confirms absence of weapons smuggling

Opinion and commentary:
» Kafka and the Arms Smugglers

On the web:
» Tiraspol, base avancée de l’armée russe? (in French)
» Приднестровский перелом (in Russian)