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President at inauguration: "We see transformation of international relations"
Following his landslide re-election win, Pridnestrovie's President Igor Smirnov was inagurarated for a new term today. The pro-independence president will serve five years. In his inauguration speech, he highlighted what he sees as a transformation of international relations.
The money shot: Re-elected president Smirnov gets the PMR presidential sash from the Speaker of ParliamentTIRASPOL (Tiraspol Times) - In the words of the President of Pridnestrovie, Igor Smirnov, a change in international relations towards his new and emerging country is underway.
" - We are seeing a transformation of international relations," he told an international audience during his inauguration ceremony for a new five year term in Tiraspol Friday.
" - We are seeing new approaches to the settlement of regional conflicts. This is a more equitable time," said the President who again stated that the conflict with the Republic of Moldova must be settled on an equal, mutually acceptable basis.
Taking the traditional oath of office, with his hand placed on the PMR Constitution, the President was sworn in to serve the people of the country:
" - I swear, in exercising the authority of President of the Pridnestrovskaia Moldavskaia Respublica, to observe and protect the Constitution of the Republic, to respect the rights and freedoms of man and citizen, to protect the sovereignty and independence, security and integrity of the State, and serve the people of Pridnestrovie."
- Uphill battle for Smirnov
Although he faced off against three contenders in the recent presidential elections, few people here envy him the top job of the unrecognized country.
" - If being the president of any other country is hard, then imagine being the leader of a place which is not yet on the world map," says local resident Ovidiu Dumistrescu, 32.
" - Of course, the fault for that is not ours. We have done everything to fully be a country in our own right. No, the fault for nonrecognition lies with the international community and in particular with anti-independence politicians in certain countries."
Pridnestrovie, which is interchangebly also called Transnistria or Transdniester, has made progress in democratizing, and is today peaceful and operating in normalcy as a typical small country. Western analysts credit the Smirnov administration with building a country which in some ways is more functional and viable as a state than many U.N. members.
" - The state has succeeded in building workable institutions that provide for its citizens a sense of normalcy and rule of law. For example, there is a constitutional court that routinely makes judgments on matters pertaining to the implementation of the 1995 constitution, with the court’s rulings often going against the wishes of parliament and, sometimes, of the president," explained Oleh Protsyk from the European Center for Minority Issues, in Flensburg.
In addition to its Constitution, Pridnestrovie also has a democratically elected president, and a parliament which is controlled by the opposition. Its government, albeit small, functions with recognized level of efficiency and it has a viable export-oriented economy. It has its own stamps, passports, car plates, and a freely convertible currency, the PMR Ruble.
Despite the relative success of its domestic state building efforts, the administration has been less successful international. This is partly because of what it calls a "smear campaign" orchestrated by Moldova.
False, negative disinformation about Igor Smirnov has hurt his chances for engaging his administration in an open and constructive debate with international organizations. In commenting on the perils of being an unrecognized state, British expert Gary D. Rawnsley says countries like Pridnestrovie "must also contend with the barrage of propaganda against them which seeks to isolate and demonize them."
Pridnestrovie declared independence on 2 September 1990, one year before Moldova did. It is majority Slav, in contrast to Moldova where Slavs make up less than 20%. Traditionally, it was never part of Moldova at any time in history. The Pridnestrovskaia Moldavskaia Respublica meets all the requirements for sovereign statehood under international law. It has a territory twice the size of Luxembourg and a population twice the size of Iceland. On 17 September 2006, more than 95% of its citizens reaffirmed their wish to continue the country's independence course and overwhelmingly rejected a proposal for unification with nearby Moldova.
See also:
» Record-breaking rally in Tiraspol as thousands celebrate Smirnov landslide
» Igor Smirnov: "What matters first of all is the opinion of the people who live here"
On the web:
» Igor Smirnov
A conference held at the European Parliament in Brussels concluded that unrecognized states like Pridnestrovie need a way to be heard by the world. "It is necessary to create and sustain permanent mechanisms of involvement and consultation of unrecognized state entities in the international community". This will benefit everyone, says the event's official statement. . . 
