Transnistria is a "mafia state" according to Moldova's Voronin

Moldova's strongman Vladimir Voronin is head of one of the richest families in his country, but now lashes out at Transdniestria

CHISINAU (Tiraspol Times) - Moldova's authoritarian president Vladimir Voronin stated in an interview with the EuroNews television channel that Transdniestria (or Transnistria, as it is referred to in Moldova) is a "mafia state" without any legitimate claim to independence.

He ruled out any comparisons to Kosovo, noting that "the Transnistria settlement [...] differs drastically from the Kosovo conflict, and should be settled differently."

According to the Moldovan strongman, who is the head of a family which during his presidency became one of the richest clans in Moldova, Transdniestria is led by authorities which are "like" organized crime.

" - We are speaking of mafia-linked groups which have seized Transnistria and turned it into a separatist territory - a status it has maintained for 16 years," Voronin said.

Authorities representing the democratically elected government in Tiraspol, the capital of Transdniestria, have repeatedly rejected Voronin's oft-cited claims that the unrecognized country is home to smuggling or other criminal activities. In the more than 17 years since Transdniestria declared independence, such claims have become common but no proof has ever been presented and the accusations are now widely discredited as being without any merit.

Transdniestria has a clean image, Voronin said (Oct.'07)

The hate-speech against Moldova's next door neighbor comes less than two months after Vladimir Voronin personally assured the world that "Transnistria has considerable improved its public image."

" - No one speaks today about the contraband of commodities across this section of the border and no one claims that Transnistria's economy can function in the criminal format only," Voronin told reporters in late October, according to news agency Itar-Tass.

Schizophrenia is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a mental illness characterized by impairments in the perception or expression of reality, most commonly manifesting as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions or disorganized speech and thinking in the context of significant social or occupational dysfunction. Diagnosis is based on the patient's self-reported experiences and observed behavior. No laboratory test for schizophrenia exists.

The disorder is primarily thought to affect cognition, but it also usually contributes to chronic problems with behavior and emotion. People diagnosed with schizophrenia are likely to be diagnosed with comorbid conditions, including clinical depression and anxiety disorders; the lifetime prevalence of substance abuse is typically around 40%. In the case of Vladimir Voronin, excessive use of alcohol has been widely reported and is thought to impair his functions as president of a nation which under his rule officially became classified as the poorest country in Europe.

Threat to Moldova's statehood?

In his latest interview with the EuroNews television channel, Voronin also said that the key to a Transdniestrian settlement lies with Russia, but that the issue should be resolved in the framework of the so-called "territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova." In his opinion, any renunciation of Moldova's long-unfulfilled claim to Transdniestrian territory is out of the question.

Moldova bases its claim on the now discredited Soviet-era borders which were forcibly created by Stalin under the Hitler-Stalin Pact (Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact). Moldova itself has repeatedly declared the Pact to be illegal. Transdniestria has no ethnic or linguistic ties to Moldova, and at no time in history has Transdniestria ever been part of any independent Moldovan state.

Nevertheless, in Voronin words, the reason why his country has difficulties in getting this territorial claim to stick is because "somebody hates to see Moldova as a sovereign and independent state on the map of Europe." EuroNews viewers were not told whom Vladimir Voronin meant.

" - If he refers to us, he out totally wrong," said a source in Transdniestria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday. The government of Transdniestria officially recognizes Moldova's right to exists as a free, sovereign and independent country. It merely wants that Moldova feels the same way, and agrees to treat Transdniestria on an equal basis by likewise recognizing Transdniestria's right to also exist as an independent state.

" - The two of us can live together side by side, peacefully as neighbors and good friends," said the diplomat. "What is the problem? We are certainly willing, so now we just hope that Moldova will one day be willing to live in peace, too."

Transdniestria declared independence on 2 September 1990 during the breakup of the Soviet Union. It is officially named the Pridnestrovskaia Moldavskaia Respublica (PMR), or Pridnestrovie for short.

See also:
» Son of Moldova's president defends his riches: "I don't steal other companies"
» Moldova admits that Transnistria now has a clean public image