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Tarzan Kokoity, center, headed a delegation from South Ossetia. Its lawmakers look to Pridnestrovie as a leadership example

TIRASPOL (Tiraspol Times) - Other unrecognized states from the former Soviet Union look to the Pridnestrovskaia Moldavskaia Respublica (PMR) for leadership in the legislative field.

That is the conclusion of the Vice-Speaker of South Ossetia's Parliament, Tarzan Kokoity. He is currently on an official visit to Tiraspol and Bender, the second largest city in Pridnestrovie, along with a delegation which also consists of Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Alan Pliyev and the South Ossetian Ombudsman for human rights, David Senakoyev.

" - We already have agreements on cooperation in law-making. I often mention that Pridnestrovie’s Parliament has succeeded in this sphere, that’s why we’ll try to study Pridnestrovie’s experience," declared Kokity.

South Ossetia - which was formerly an autonomous republic in the Soviet Union - is resisting integration with the Republic of Georgia, with whom it fought a war for independence shortly after the Soviet breakup.

The fab four

When the Soviet Union broke up, more than a dozen countries emerged from the ruins of the former Communist giant and become new members of the United Nations. But four states failed to get diplomatic recognition: Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, Pridnestrovie and South Ossetia.

Pridnestrovie is the largest of these four states. With a population of 550,000 people, it has more inhabitants than the other three combined.

Although the four areas function to all practical effects as independent countries, territorial claims by their neighbors remain unresolved and have so far prevented them from integration with the international community. They are not yet recognized diplomatically and on maps they appear as if they are part of the larger, neigboring countries. In reality, the four small states have never been under the rule of these claimant states since the fall of the Soviet Union.

Apart from having a larger population than the other three unrecognized states combined, Pridnestrovie is also the most Western of these countries. The others are located in the South Caucasus whereas Pridnestrovie is firmly in Europe. It is traditionally Slavic and not Romanian or Moldovan: In the past, Pridnestrovie was alternately part of Kievan Rus, Poland, Lithuania, Russia and Ukraine. It has never been part of any independent Romania or Moldova at any time in history.

Pridnestrovie is also the most modern and industrialized of the four unrecognized countries from the former Soviet Union. Although not yet reaching the levels of industrialization of Taiwan - another 'de facto' country with limited international recognition - the companies of Pridnestrovie nevertheless maintain commercial relations with a total of 99 countries in the world.

Kokoity told journalists that within the framework of unrecognized countries, the others most frequently draw on Pridnestrovie's experience.

" - In the legislative field, Pridnestrovie's Parliament has advanced more than Abkhazia and South Ossetia," said Tarzan Kokoity. "Among us, Pridnestrovie is the forerunner. The PMR has its own strong economy, too."

Parliaments help each other

Parliamentary cooperation issues were under discussion when Pridnestrovie's parliament met Monday with the South Ossetian representatives. PMR Parliamentary Speaker Yevgeny Shevchuk informed the guests that the bill aimed at reduction of taxes for Pridnestrovian businessmen engaged in trade with South Ossetia was being drafted in Parliament.

" - At the next interparliamentary session we’ll give consideration to the bill that Speaker of Parliament Yevgeny Shevchuk offers. I think the passage of this bill will change many things and our cooperation will be highly productive," said Vice-Speaker of Parliament of South Ossetia Tarzan Kokoity.

In addition, seeing how the other small and unrecognized countries now look to Pridnestrovie for leadership, PMR Speaker of Parliament Yevgeny Shevchuk offered Tarzan Kokoity to send delegations to exchange experience in lawmaking.

Three of the four already cooperate within an international organization, the Community for Democracy and Rights of Nations. The fourth, Nagorno Karabakh, participates with observer status. It is the subject of a territorial claim by Azerbaijan, but its largely Armenian population receives support from Armenia and - just like Pridnestrovie - has so far been able to maintain a 'de facto' statehood for the better part of two decades.

See also:
» Abkhazia, South Ossetia to UN: "We're next" [1]
» Group warns of threat to democracy, security, and long term regional stability [2]

On the web:
» Pridnestrovie.net [3]