No to Bosnia: Ethnic groups agree on democratic independence course

Flanked by the heads of PMR's Russian and Ukrainian communities, Moldovan leader Valerianus Tulgar supports independence

TIRASPOL (Tiraspol Times) - In a joint statement to international journalists yesterday, the national leadership of Pridnestrovie's three main ethnic community declared their agreement on the future policy of the unrecognized country. The only way forward now, said the three in unison, is to pursue independence.

" - This will not become another Bosnia," promised the three community leaders in a shared statement. "Unlike Bosnia, here, all three main ethnic groups are in complete agreement about the best way forward for our people."

Ruling out a the viability of a future state within the framework of the Republic of Moldova, the country's three main ethnic community groups affirmed their commitment to an independent Pridnestrovie - also known as Transnistria - and request international recognition of the new and emerging country's de facto statehood.

Taking centerstage at the press conference was Valerianus Tulgar, an ethnic Moldavian born in what is today the territory of Pridnestrovie. Tulgar, the president of the Union of Moldovans in Pridnestrovie, was flanked on either side by Vladimir Bodnar, the president of the Union of Ukrainians in Pridnestrovie, and by Viktor Arestov, head of the Union of Russian Communities in Pridnestrovie. Together, the three communities represent 92% of the voting population in which is an equally-mixed multiethnic republic.

" - Unfortunately," says the leader of the the ethnic Moldovan communities, Valerianus Tulgar, "the leadership of the Republic of Moldova is a disruptive factor in the lives of their ethnic brothers who live here. In the past, we have seen how they threat us: Ranging from armed aggression, constant economic blockades, to even leaving the negotiation process over and over again when things don't go their way. None of this makes the PMR-Moldovans thrilled or eager to want to unite with what is nevertheless our ethnic motherland", Tulgar told the assembled journalists.

" - For the past 16 years we have learned the hard way that it is impossible to reach agreement and understanding with the politicians of the Republic of Moldova," explained Tulgar. "We did what we could, but now we are at the end of the road, and it is necessary to move on to the next stage and obtain international recognition of what has been the reality for 16 years, and stand up for our independence."

Three main groups, equal in size

As shown in the latest census, the population of Pridnestrovie is made up of three main groups which are roughly equal in size. The Ukrainians, Russians and Moldovans each represent around 30%, with a smattering of more than thirty other nationalities and minority groups making up the rest.

Ethnically, Moldova is distinct from Pridnestrovie. Ethnic Russians make up less than 6% of Moldova's population, Ukrainians only 8%. Moldovans themselves represent 78%, or four out of every five people in Moldova.

In Ukraine, the story is the same: Despite a small presence of ethnic Russians (and an even smaller representation of Moldovans), the Ukrainians themselves are by far the largest nationality, with a full 77.8% of the population.

In both neighboring countries the titular nationalities dominate the others, four to one. But not so in Pridnestrovie, which can most accurately be called a "great melting pot" mixing equal numbers of ethnic groups. In Pridnestrovie, a total of 35 nationalities are represented; most of them Slavic (with two-thirds of Pridnestrovians identifying themselves as Slav). In Pridnestrovie, everyone is a minority, although three nationalities dominate: Moldovans 31.9%, Russians 30.4%, and Ukrainians: 28.8%. The remaining 8.9% are shared between 32 other ethnic minorities.

" - In PMR, most citizens do not want to rejoin the territory which is today the Republic of Moldova," says geopolitical scholar John O'Loughlin, author of a study of Pridnestrovie, National Construction, Territorial Separatism, and Post-Soviet Geopolitics in the Transdniester Moldovan Republic. "Perhaps surprisingly to outsiders, this includes at least nine out of every ten of even the ethnic Moldovans who live there."

Socially coherent identity rules out another Bosnia

In Europe today, no other country comes closer to Pridnestrovie in its ethnic diversity than Bosnia, another small country with 3 main nationalities and no single dominant majority. But in Bosnia, with the presence of 3 nationalities and lack of majority, ethnic ambitions led to inter-ethnic war. In Pridnestrovie, this never happened. Here, in marked contrast to Bosnia, all 3 main nationalities are united behind a common goal of "international patriotism": Their desire for a shared but independent, sovereign republic.

Whereas the similarities between Bosnia and Pridnestrovie are evident, the fortunate difference in outcome is the due to the fact that in Pridnestrovie, patriotism is not tied to ethnicity. This crucial distinction prevented a three-sided ethnic war in Pridnestrovie, says columnist Michael Garner. It also markedly improved the viability of independent Pridnestrovie as a state, in comparison to Bosnia where the jury is still out.

Garner warns that to forcefully submit the already de facto independent Pridnestrovie to Moldovan rule would be akin to forcing Bosnia into Serbia; something already rejected by Dayton, Rambouillet, the international community and - most importantly - by its inhabitants alike. Such an outcome would be a travesty to the ethnic and ideological makeup of the people of Pridnestrovie, and would reflect a grave misunderstanding of history. And it would shatter the social coherence and ethnic harmony which Tiraspol and the rest of the unrecognized country is, rightly, so proud of.

See also:
» Ethnic Moldovans in Pridnestrovie prefer independence over unification with Moldova
» "Patria Moldova" joins other ethnic Moldovans in support of PMR independence