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Confidence-building visit: OSCE delegation inspects Kolbasna military depots
Inspecting military storage facilities in northern Pridnestrovie on Monday, a group of OSCE diplomats and officials saw the progress in demilitarization efforts and weapons control first-hand. The gesture was appreciated by the Chairman-in-Office as an important confidence-building measure. OSCE sees improved government and increased trust in the region.
Jan Nadolski (Poland),Tom Blackwell (USA) overseeing past arms removal and demilitarization in PMR (Photo: Neil Brennan, OSCE)KOLBASNA (Tiraspol Times) - A group of more than 30 Ambassadors, Heads of Delegations to the OSCE, inspected a Russian-guarded ammunition depot in northern Pridnestrovie Monday.
OSCE officials gained access to the Kolbasna site following an earlier visit to Pridnestrovie by British arms inspectors. Their work resulted in a report published by the United Nations, which gave Pridnestrovie high marks for openness and transparency in the field of arms control.
Monday's inspection was appreciated by the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Belgian Foreign Minister Karel de Gucht, as an important confidence-building measure. The visit was the last part of the diplomats' four day fact-finding tour to the area. The OSCE Mission to Moldova, the poorest county in Europe, co-ordinated the visit.
In Chisinau, the OSCE diplomats met with Communist President Vladimir Voronin and members of his Communist Party cabinet, as well as other politicians and representatives.
During the meetings, the diplomats discussed among other matters the slow pace of political and stalled economic reforms, the prospects for a negotiated settlement with Pridnestrovie, and the current status - which the political opposition says is not very good - of the rule of law in Moldova, a country with one of the worst human rights situations in Europe.
- OSCE sees improvement in governing
In Tiraspol, the OSCE diplomats met current President Igor Smirnov as well as opposition leader Yevgeny Shevchuk, the Speaker of parliament, and private sector representatives from business and industry. During the trip, the diplomats also had a chance to gather first-hand information on the situation in the security zone and the work of the peacekeeping forces.
Speaking to the press, the Chairman of the OSCE Permanent Council, Ambassador Bertrand de Crombrugghe, called the visit positive. He also said that steps to increase trust have been taken and that "the process of governing this region is being improved".
The head of the European Union Border Assistance Mission (EUBAM), General Ferenc Banfi, briefed the OSCE Ambassadors on the operation which has not found any evidence to back up previous Moldova's claims that Pridnestrovie is a "black hole" or that its government is involved in weapons trafficking or smuggling of any kind. The Ambassadors stressed the importance, usefulness and business-friendliness of its continued work, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pridnestrovie also emphasized the usefulness of having EUBAM monitor the borders. Nearly a year of EUBAM oversight has proven that Moldova's continued scare-campaign and the constant barrage of propaganda against Pridnestrovie is a propaganda attempt which is not based in reality, but which merely seeks to isolate and demonize the unrecognized country.
Despite the fact that Pridnestrovie declared independence one year earlier than the Republic of Moldova, OSCE officially advocates a unification of the two as still being a viable option. Speaking at a news conference in Chisinau today, the Ambassadors emphasized the need to find a status solution which, according to OSCE, would "respect the territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova", while at the same time provide for a special status for Pridnestrovie.
In their response, officials in Pridnestrovie point out that it already has a special status: Also known as Transnistria or Transdniester, it has functioned for the past 16 years as a fully independent country, meeting all the requirements for statehood under international law. It is only the rest of the world which has not yet caught up to this situation, and the 'specialness' is merely because Pridnestrovie functions as an unrecognized state which has not been integrated into the international community yet.
Now it is up to the rest of the world to recognize that, and to "not try to fix something that isn't broken," in the words of Petru Gladchi, a civil society activist in Tiraspol. (With information from OSCE)
See also:
» Transdniester opens its doors to OSCE team for weapons inspection
» UN Report clears Transdniester of weapons smuggling; Praises transparency and co-operation
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. . . 
