 | WHY NOT HIM? Analysts tipped opposition leader Yevgeny Shevchuk as the man who could beat Smirnov. So why didn't he run for president? Here, he explains. [more] |  | | |  | A RIVER OF BLOOD was the promise to Moldova's Slavic minority in 1990. Ethnic conflict played a role in independence struggles on both sides of the Dniester river. [more] |
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If Kosovo gets it, Transdniestria wants recognized independence too
If Kosovo becomes recognized as an independent country, Transdniestria wants the same rules to apply to its own situation. So says Yevgeny Shevchuk, Speaker of the new and emerging country's parliament. Moldova has ruled out any application of what is now becoming known as the "Kosovo precedent."
Independence now: PMR (Pridnestrovie), sandwiched between Moldova and Ukraine, is also known as Transnistria or Trans-DniestriaTIRASPOL (Tiraspol Times) - The "de facto" independent republic of Transdniestria will seek to formalize its independence from Moldova if the Kosovo issue is resolved in favor of Albanian separatists, according to a public statement issued by Transdniestria's parliamentary speaker on Wednesday.
" - We see that a decision is being made under the UN aegis to transform Kosovo from a country with an indefinite status to a country governed by international law. We would like our Transdniestrian state to be recognized as well, if such a decision is made," Yevgeny Shevchuk said.
Transdniestria has a large ethnic Russian population. In 1990, it proclaimed its independence from the Moldavian SSR prior to the collapse of the Soviet Union. Moldova itself only declared independence one year later, in 1991.
Shevchuk's comments came as the Kosovo issue was being discussed at the UN Security Council, news agency RIA Novosti reported. The Security Council is started closed-door talks on Kosovo's status, with most Western powers backing the Albanian-dominated region's drive for independence. Serbia has objected to the region's sovereignty, and offered Kosovo broad autonomy. A round of internationally mediated talks earlier this month failed to find a compromise.
- Moldova rejects Transnistria following "Kosovo pattern"
Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin stated this week that any future resolution of the situation in Transdniestria should not be based on the 'Kosovo pattern.'
" - Russia and the United States are currently negotiating issues related to Kosovo and the CFE Treaty...The Transnistria settlement depends on the results of these negotiations, and differs drastically from the Kosovo conflict, and should be settled differently," Voronin told the Euronews television channel. The Moldovan strongman went on to claim that his country's "territorial integrity" was indisputable.
Using its official constitutional name, 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 RIA Novosti)
See also:
» U.S. recognition of Kosovo values self-determination higher than territorial integrity
» Kosovo diplomat: Transnistria has more reasons for independence than Kosovo
» Parallels with Pridnestrovie: Euro MP says Kosovo not unique
Opinion and commentary:
» Double standards over Kosovo
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