 | FREE TRADE with the rest of the world has been banned for over a year. Failing to reach its goal, many now see the move as Moldova's worst mistake. [more] |  | | |  | TRANSNISTRIA WAS NEVER IN MOLDOVA during any period of Moldova's history as an independent country since 1359. Could that change in the future? [more] |
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Moldova lost authority over Transnistria, pressure group says
A pressure group of Moldovan nationalists says that Moldova has no effective authority in Transnistria. According to the most recent report by Promo-Lex, Moldova itself admits that "the region is not within the terms of reference". As a result, Moldova is now unable and unwilling to perform basic government functions in Transnistria.
The Transnistrian Navy, a fleet of small boats patrolling the Dniester river, protects the territory from Moldovan incursionsCHISINAU (Tiraspol Times) - A pressure group which was established to push for Moldovan influence over Transnistria (officially: Pridnestrovie) is complaining that Moldova lacks effective authority over the territory. The Promo-Lex association presented a report at a press conference in Chisinau, the capital of Moldova, on Tuesday in which it pointed out that Moldova is both unable and unwilling to act in Transnistria.
As reported by Moldovan news agency Infotag, association chairman Ion Manole mentioned that in 2006 two explosions took place in Tiraspol and Moldova did nothing to help solve the case.
" - Moldova did not insist upon its participation in the investigation," Manole remarked. According to Ion Manole, Moldova never participates in criminal investigations.
" - There have been cases when Transnistrian residents addressed themselves to the Moldova General Prosecutor’s office," said Manole. "They were refused under the pretext, that the region is not within the terms of reference of this office."
- Moldova blocks voting rights for 80,000 Ukrainians
The Promo-Lex association also riled the failure of Moldova to organize elections and other functions of a sovereign state which has control of a territory.
" - Moldova has not taken any measures for the conduct of correct elections on the left Dniester bank", the association Chairman affirms. It was unclear whether he referred to the upcoming Rada elections for Ukraine's parliament, where Moldova will not allow Ukraine to set up polling stations in Transnistria despite the fact that the territory is home to an estimated 80,000 Ukrainian citizens. In Moldovan cities such as Chisinau and Balti, polling stations are allowed even though only 3,500 Moldovan residents currently hold Ukrainian citizenship.
In Moldovan elections, Moldova does not include Transnistria either and no polling stations are ever set up within Transnistrian territory. Likewise, Transnistria was also excluded from the last Moldovan census. The area also isn't included in Moldova's budget for state spending and does not receive any of the foreign aid which is allocated to Moldova proper.
Promo-Lex was set up in 2002 and it acts mainly on the left bank of the Dniester. The report was prepared with financial support on the part of the Dutch Embassy in Kiev, Ukraine.
- Functioning as an independent state
The largely Russian-speaking Transnistria - which unlike Moldova is populated by two-thirds Slavs - is officially named Pridnestrovie (long form: Pridnestrovskaia Moldavskaia Respublica) according to its constitution.
It broke away from Moldova in 1990, in a move which was followed by a failed Moldovan invasion and bloody military conflict in 1992. The truce has been maintained by a multilateral team of peacekeepers and international mediators. Moldova has never recognized the right of Pridnestrovie to self-determination and still pursues an old territorial claim on the territory. By invading in 1992, Moldova unsuccessfully attempted to impose its sovereignty. Historically, Pridnestrovie has never been part of Moldova.
In an independence referendum held 17 September 2006, more than 97% of PMR's electorate voted in favor of independence and rejected a union state with Moldova. The international community, however, did not recognize the referendum results, prompting Smirnov to state that "democracy does not require the approval of anyone. It is the will of the people."
The Pridnestrovskaia Moldavskaia Respublica (PMR) meets all the requirements for statehood under international law. It has a permanent population equivalent to Montenegro's, the world's newest U.N. member. For the past sixteen years, the PMR has had sovereign control of a territory which is larger than 10% of other countries in the world. It has a democratically elected government with a parliament which is currently led by an opposition party. It also has more than a dozen government ministries, including a Ministry of Foreign Affairs which is currently in the process of expanding the new and emerging country's integration ties to the international community.
Pridnestrovie has its own flag, national anthem, coat of arms, postage stamps, passports, car plates, border control and police force. It also has a Supreme Court and a Central Bank which issues its own currency, the PMR Ruble. (With information from Infotag)
See also:
» Ukraine voters not allowed to cast their ballots in Pridnestrovie
» The shared - and not so shared - history of Pridnestrovie and Moldova
Opinion and commentary:
» Small news, big stories in Transnistria
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. . . 
