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PACE delegation led by Egidijus Vareikis (right) meets with parliamentary committee in Tiraspol (Photo: VS PMR)

TIRASPOL (Tiraspol Times) - PACE, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, had positive words for recent reform proposals during a meeting with Pridnestrovie's parliament. The meeting in Tiraspol was called to evaluate human rights progress and democratic development.

During the visit, the delegates, led by PACE co-rapporteur Vareikis, met with the members of the Foreign Policy and International Relations Commission of Pridnestrovie's parliament. The sides discussed recent progress concerning the observance of human rights and freedoms in Pridnestrovie, and in particular the role of the opposition-led parliament in speeding up the pace of reform. While comparing Pridnestrovie with neighboring Moldova, the delegates saw positive developments in both places. But while Pridnestrovie actually carried out its law reforms, there were some harsh words for Moldova: Vareikis noted that the Moldovan parliament had adoption a series of laws specifically for "window-dressing" purposes, in order to comply with prior commitments before the council of Europe, but that "laws should not only be assumed, but also fulfilled".

The chairman of the parliament's commission, Sergey Cheban, noted that the legislation of the Pridnestrovskaia Moldavskaia Respublica is drafted and adopted in line with the international norms. New human rights reforms have had a positive impact in Tiraspol and elsewhere in the country since the beginning of 2006. In contrast, Cheban says that “Moldova’s and Ukraine’s economic sanctions against Pridnestrovie are having a negative impact on the human rights and economic situation in the region. Today, our local companies are forced to get temporary registration in the Republic of Moldova, which makes them subject to double taxation. This situation is forcing them to increase their cost base – as a result, they are getting less competitive and losing market share for their exports,” Cheban said. On 3 March 2006, at Moldova's urging, Ukraine imposed a new customs regime on its border with Pridnestrovie. Ukrainian customs officers no longer let exports from Pridnestrovie cross the border unless they have been cleared in advance by Moldovan customs authorities. The embargo has led to a slowdown in output and a decrease in exports by a third, causing some plant closures and layoffs in Pridnestrovie.

The sides also discussed the results of the monitoring of Pridnestrovie's border with Ukraine. After nearly a year of European border monitoring, all claims of weapons smuggling have been found to be groundless. EUBAM, as the mission is called, could safely lay to rest the frequently repeated Moldovan accusations that Pridnestrovie is involved in weapons manufacture or weapons exports. Other European officials and diplomats have in the past discarded such allegations, calling them "wildly exaggerated" and pointing out that no evidence has ever been presented of PMR involvement in arms production or trafficking. Likewise, human trafficking - which is a huge problem in Moldova - has not been encounted on the border with Pridnestrovie either, leading foreign officials to declare a clean bill of health for the new and emerging country.

Europe urges respect for the popular will of the voters

Analysts noted that the Council of Europe delegates shunned President Igor Smirnov and members of his cabinet, including representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Instead, the delegates preferred to meet only with members of the opposition-controlled parliament. A 2005 report by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe referred to the parliament's Speaker, opposition politician Yevgeny Shevchuk in the context of democratic reform, noting that Transnistria (as the report referred to Pridnestrovie) is "moving towards more pluralism" and highlighted the parliament's reform initiatives which were spearheaded by Yevgeny Shevchuk's Renewal party.

When the PACE delegates spoke about the change of the peacekeeping format in Pridnestrovie, the parliamentary committee members concluded that there is currently a high level of trust by the population in the stability of the existing peacekeeping format, and that it would be a mistake - leading to instability and fears of possible new bloodshed - to change it. For the past fourteen years, the current multinational format has proved its effectiveness.

PACE has consistently approved a status solution for Pridnestrovie which respects the popular will of the people who live here. This, rather than imposing rules from the outside by use of force, was repeated in its most recent report on the issue. On 16 September 2005, referring to the settlement of the Pridnestrovie's status, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe noted that that "any solution must accord with the popular will as expressed in fully free and democratic elections."

Following the decisive results of the 17 September 2006 independence referendum, unrecognized by Europe, there are strong indications that the electorate does not see the status of Pridnestrovie as being a component part of Moldova. A full 94.6% of the voters rejected unification with Moldova. Showing how strongly opposed they are to this issue, the referendum was succesfully held with a near-unprecedented 78% turnout. The referendum was monitored by more than 130 international election observers who all declared the vote free and fair.

Officially called Pridnestrovie, but better known in the West as Transnistria or Transdniester, the unrecognized country declared independence on 2 September 1990. Since then it has functioned as a de facto independent country. It meets all the requirements for statehood under international law: (a) a permanent population; (b) a defined territory; (c) government; and (d) capacity to enter into relations with the other states.

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