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Proudly flying the red-and-green flag, the people of Pridnestrovie refuse to give up their dream of international recognition

GRIGORIOPOL (Tiraspol Times) - It was a generation ago that shots last rang out in the Dniester valley. Then, fierce fighting tore through the vineyards and river banks as soldiers from the former Soviet Republic of Moldova launched an invasion attempt on the residents of Pridnestrovie who, in 1990, declared their independence.

Moldova never recognized the independence declaration and maintains a territorial claim on the small de facto country on the other side of the Dniester river. Pridnestrovie, also known as Transdniester, refuses the claim. "We declared independence in a democratic referendum, which is something that Moldova never did," says a Tiraspol official. "If their unilateral declaration of independence was valid, then so was ours. There is no difference between the two, except that ours was more democratic because it was based on the will of the people as expressed by voting about it."

Today, Pridnestrovie is seeking international recognition of its statehood. The recognition of Pridnestrovie does not constitute the issuance of a politically dangerous blank cheque to change the map: Although international law protects the territorial integrity of all states, this only applies to existing borders. When Pridnestrovie declared independence, the Republic of Moldova had no existing borders, as the Republic of Moldova at the time did not itself exist.

Moldova as an independent country was only created one year after Pridnestrovie itself had already declared independence. Moldova was created from scratch, just like Pridnestrovie. Moldova was not a successor state to the Moldavian SSR, because the MSSR was not a country. It was a part of the Soviet Union and subject to Soviet law ... just like Pridnestroive. The MSSR did not have the trappings of statehood, nor did it have United Nations membership.

Territorial integrity refers to international borders. The 1975 Helsinki Convention is explicit on this point.

The only international borders in existence on the territory at the time of Pridnestrovie's independence were those of the Soviet Union. If territorial integrity was violated when Pridnestrovie declared independence, it was the territorial integrity of the only state with international borders: The USSR. It self-destructed, taking its territorial integrity along with it.

In the place where the MSSR existed before, two separate entities sprung up: The Pridnestrovskaia Moldavskaia Respublica and the Republic of Moldova. The creation of both these two were based on historical borders, ethnic compositions and the will of the majority of the people on each side of the Dniester river.

If Moldova had accepted that, a war could have been avoided. Instead, Moldova wanted it all and went to war to get it - despite the fact that historically and ethnically, Pridnestrovie had never been part of an independent Moldova at any time in history.

Since the war of 1992, the two sides have maintained an awkward truce. But relations went from bad to worse in March of 2006.

Economic warfare

The latest in a long line of angry rows has erupted over customs. Authorities in Tiraspol say that they are being strangled into submission by an economic blockade imposed from Chisinau.

Emboldened by what it saw as European support, Moldova abandoned the status settlement talks the same week that it began a new tactic, using economic pressure to force the other side to give in to its demands and give up the quest for independence.

With the approval of border monitors from the European Union and the assistance of a pro-Moldovan foreign minister in Ukraine, a Moldovan-planned customs registration requirement went into effect for all exports from Pridnestrovie on 3 March 2006. The move, which was seen as an economic blockade by Tiraspol, had a immediate disastrous effect on the new and emerging country's economy. In the first months alone, Pridnestrovie suffered a shortfall of more than $300 million in lost exports.

Pridnestrovie today has its own currency, parliament, national anthem and state flag. The language on the streets is Russian.

Negotiations with Chisinau over the region's status have dragged on for over a decade with little sign of resolution.

" - Our relations are getting worse and worse," PMR's Foreign Minister, Valery Litskai complains. "But President Voronin does not want to talk, he wants to dictate."

Economically viable as independent nation

As reported by The Economist, Pridnestrovie is economically viable as a separate country. It is home to most of the area's heavy industry, and in Soviet times it was the economic engine that powered the Moldavian SSR. Since breaking away from Chisinau, homegrown businesses have established foreign contracts and export agreements in what the European Union has classified as a very open economy. Pridnestrovie maintains commercial ties with a total of 99 countries in the world.

Velor Ordin is director of TiroTex textiles factory. Like many people here he refers to this move by Chisinau as an economic blockade.

" - Our business is at the mercy of political whim," Ordin complains.

Pridnestrovie has its own currency, parliament, president and constitution. To all intents and purposes, say its citizens, it is a country in its own right and should be recognized as such.

Though many are poor, the local population is proud. Street traders blame Moldova for all their ills and profess strong support for President Igor Smirnov and his hard line in negotiations. This December, they re-elected him in a record breaking landslide vote which international observers called free and fair, and which conformed to democratic U.N. standards.

The voters' message was clear. They want their Pridnestrovskaia Moldavskaia Respublica to be recognized, and voted accordingly for Igor Smirnov, a staunch pro-independence fighter, who will now lead the country for a new five year term.

Results showed Smirnov winning overwhelmingly, securing 80% of the vote. He is hailed by working class citizens for giving them the basics of "bread, hot water, and heat" - and, most importantly, the promise that the war which they fought for their independence was not fought in vain.

Fresh thinking from Moldova

Relations across the river Dniester have not been this acrimonious for years. The chances of seeing tanks back in the streets again are still slim, and NATO has ruled out its involvement. But the war of words is escalating - and once again it's not the politicians who are suffering.

" - The best solution for ordinary people, on both sides of the Nistru [Dniester, in Romanian], is to get rid of this whole frozen-conflict business," says a state-employed female journalist in Chisinau who prefers to remain anonymous.

" - Just recognize Transnistria as an independent country. This will solve the whole thing, and we can all then get on with our business. My country, Moldova, won't lose anything that it didn't already have, because it never had Transnistria in the first place and it won't have it in the future either. In our heart of hearts, we all know that. So let us face up to reality and get serious for a change. Give Transnistria their country and let us live as the good neighbors that I know we can be once this ugly mess is behind us."

Independence has been the de facto reality on the ground in PMR for the past 16 years. Now, politicians and ordinary voters on both sides of the issue need to make a choice: Will it be possible to turn back the clock? Or is it better now for both sides just to move forward?

See also:
» Still unrecognized, Pridnestrovie celebrates 16 years of de facto independence [1]