Moldova govt won't consider ex-advisor's Transnistria settlement plan

Former Moldovan presidential advisor Sergiu Mocanu: "Transnistria isn't part of Moldova, and that's a fact we need to recognize"

CHISINAU (Tiraspol Times) - Instead of analyzing the pros and cons of a new Trandniestria settlement proposal from a former advisor to Vladimir Voronin, the government of Moldova has already rejected it outright without any public debate.

" - This initiative is not tenable," Prime Minister Vasile Tarlev said without any serious analysis, while merely adding that a number of certain issues "cannot be the subjects for debates."

Tarlev made it clear that the Moldovan regime refuses to trade its territorial claim to the Republic of Transdniestria for the sake of European integration. The refusal came on the heels of a proposal presented last week by former presidential advisor Sergiu Mocanu, who instituted a political movement in Chisinau for the detachment of that unrecognized republic.

Sergiu Mocanu, who until May 2007 was in charge of the Moldovan foreign policy, urged Chisinau to let Transdniestria go its own way. He called Moldova's Transdniestria-claim ‘a ballast,’ and said that the best solution was to draw a new border along the Dniester River, then close this eastern border and instead open the western one; towards Europe.

In his opinion, this is only way for Moldova "to catch the last ‘Balkan train’ to the European Union," Russian news agency Itar-Tass reported.

Mocanu: "Transnistria is not part of Moldova"

The former adviser to Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin urges Moldova to jettison its claims to Transdniestria in order to hasten its entry into the EU. Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty printed quotes by Sergiu Mocanu which described the new and emerging country as "ballast" that could hold back EU membership for 15-20 years.

Without Transdniestria, "we might just be able to jump aboard the last train to the European Union," Mocanu explained.

" - Since the Transnistria conflict is no longer solvable, Moldova should recognize European integration as its top priority," he said.

" - Transnistria is not a part of Moldova, and that's a fact we'd better recognize," Mocanu stated.

The formal proposal by former Moldovan presidential adviser Sergiu Mocanu is entitled A Strategy for the Republic of Moldova and was first presented in Chisinau during a 26 September news conference. The government of Moldova rejected the proposal outright, without as much as holding a public debate on any of the issues.

Nevertheless, Mocanu and his followers will fight what they see as shortsightedness and a lack of political perspective. They consider that Moldova still has a chance of catching the last “Balkan train” to the European Union, but that Moldova can only do so if the Moldovan authorities radically change their mechanism for managing the Transnistrian crisis.

" - When I say changing the mechanism of managing the Transnistrian crisis I mean the creation of a border with all its peculiarities all along Transnistria on the bank of the Dniester river. For the time being, it is Moldova’s European integration that is on the front burner rather than the country’s reintegration," the former presidential adviser said.

Mocanu said that although he thinks that, de jure, Transnistria belongs to Moldova, de facto this is not the case and that for 17 years, this has never been the case.

" - To not miss the last, Balkan train leaving for the European Union, the Chisinau authorities should radically revise the order of handling the Transnistrian crisis", Mocanu said. "The Transnistria problem is key for the Republic of Moldova, and it does not permit the Government to control a part of the country's territory. For a medium-term and long-term period, the Transnistria problem has no chances of a solution. And a remoter solution of the problem may mean that the country will experience an indefinitely long period of insecurity, poverty and isolation from the European community".

To avoid this, he suggested establishing an administrative border along the Dniester River - with all elements and attributes of a state border. He emphasized that such strategy is not an infringement on Moldova's independence but is the only possibility of integration into the European Union.

Sergiu Mocanu believes that the current “negotiation package” is dangerous both for the EU and Moldova. He reckons that an eventual administrative border on the Dniester River will not impact negatively the EU Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine (EUBAM) or the 5+2 negotiating process (Moldova and Trandsniestria - as sides involved, Russia, Ukraine and the OSCE – as mediators and the USA and the EU – as observers).

New political movement for Transdniestria's freedom

Based on his proposal for Transdniestria settlement, Sergiu Mocanu is about to launch a new political project of his own.

Speaking over Moldova's ProTV-Chisinau channel, Mocanu made it clear that there are many in the country which feel the same way that he does. It is now up to the people to make sure that the elite will listen, and that the leadership will follow the will of the people with regards to letting Transdniestria get its freedom. He specified that there is a group of initiative which will promote this idea and which is likely to turn into a popular action/movement, and, ultimately, into a political formation.

" - With time, the project should develop into a political movement, which will hopefully earn the support of a population majority, and many political parties will eventually join it", he said. Mocanu also said that this new Strategy is being launched by an initiative group under a slogan "To the European Union - with a Controlled Territory".

The plan is to develop his "Strategy for the Republic of Moldova" political project into a political party within 6 months. Mocanu explained he is not setting himself an goal to create a new party immediately, "but such party needs to be formed - for a healthy political competition in the country and for revealing new leaders in such conditions. At the moment, Moldova does not have political figures able to match and oppose Vladimir Voronin who is a strong political figure".

The new plan's essence is that the Republic of Moldova cannot have open borders both in the west and in the east, "therefore we must determine our priorities. Presently, our absolute priority is European integration. In this situation, for the sake of opening the western border, we are supposed to close our eastern border. I suggest establishing border along the Dniester River and thus cutting off Transnistria so as to get integrated into the European Union."

In his words, that's only how Moldova will be just in time "to jump into the last Balkan train heading for the European Union. Otherwise, we won't be able to even dream about European Union next 15-20 years."

Sergiu Mocanu has closely analyzed the situation and says that at this point in time, the Republic of Moldova has already exhausted all possibilities for Transdniestrian conflict settlement.

" - It is necessary to recognize that Transnistria is not a constituent part of Moldova, and we should get rid of this ballast. Moldovan citizens have by now come to have more relatives living in Italy than in Transnistria. If we fail to put these initiatives into reality, our citizens will be integrating into the European Union all by themselves, so the Moldovan government will remain the only citizens living in this republic", Mocanu said.

Fresh thinking "outside the box"

" - It is healthy that someone in Moldova is finally beginning to think outside the box," says a European diplomat who asked to remain anonymous. "In this case, the presidential ex-adviser suggests that Moldova gives up Transnistria in favor of European integration... This is not a bad idea. It needs to be studied, but it is similar to the Czech/Slovak solution in many ways."

Although official Moldova is not yet ready to renounce Transdniestria for the sake of European integration, the inevitability of such a solution will become clear over time, believes the author of "Strategy for the Republic of Moldova", Sergiu Mocanu, former Adviser-at-Large to President Vladimir Voronin.

Sergiu Mocanu is a veteran political leader from Moldova's Popular Front, an anti-Russian independence movement. In recent years, he has been foreign policy advisor to Moldova's President Vladimir Voronin, but voluntarily left the post in early summer, 2007.

" - I ceased being loyal to the President from the moment when Voronin's priorities shifted, and he named the country's reintegration as a more important objective than its European integration", said Sergiu Mocanu. In Moldova, reintegration is code for bringing Transdniestria under Moldova's control, despite the overwhelming desire of its pro-independence population for its own state. European integration is code for membership of the European Union. The EU has said that it will not make another "Cyprus mistake" of admitting a member with unresolved territorial conflicts on its territory, and has in effect forced Moldova to choose between EU-membership or pursuing its stale territorial claim to Transdniestria.

Transdniestria declared independence in 1990, one year before Moldova became independent. For 17 years it has functioned as a 'de facto' independent country. It has all the attributes of an sovereign nation and meets the requirements for statehood under international law. It is officially named Pridnestrovie, according to its constitution. (With information from Infotag, Itar-Tass)

See also:
» Moldova should choose Europe instead of Transdniester
» Chisinau organizations support merger with Romania; calling Moldova "failed state"
» Majority of Moldovans willing to accept Transnistria's independence

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