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Shunned by the world, peaceful protesters demand a voice in the U.N.
Peaceful protesters in unrecognized Pridnestrovie demand to be heard at the international level. They wrote an Open Letter to the OSCE, the Council of Europe and the United Nations. Tiraspol Times reproduces the text of the open letter.
Flanked by their flags of independence, protestors in Tiraspol demand a voice within the international communityTIRASPOL (Tiraspol Times) - They are stateless and orphans in eyes of the international community. But this is not their fault, says a spokesman for a group of protestors who have written an open letter to the United Nations and other organizations of the international system.
" - It is the international community that simply won't face reality. We have been independent for more than sixteeen years, whether they like it or not. Now it is time for them to realize that, and not keep us in a reservation," says Dumitru Năstase, a resident of the southern PMR town of Slobozya.
" - We defended our freedom at the cost of a thousand lost lives, and we constructed our state with our bare hands. International organizations gave hundreds of millions to Moldova, and it became a failed state. We got nothing, and we are a successful state. We have done what we need to do to prove ourselves as a country. Now it is up to the rest of the world to recognize this."
Năstase spoke on behalf of nearly 15,000 voters who gathered in central Tirapol, the capital of Pridnestrovie, on Monday to celebrate the landslide election win of Igor Smirnov to PMR's top job. During the rally, they congratulated pro-independence fighter Igor Smirnov but also had strong words and protests against the attitude of the international community which has so far been slow in engaging Pridnestrovie.
The Pridnestrovskaia Moldavskaia Respublica, to use its full and official name, is also known informally as Transnistria or Transdnister. It meets all the requirements for statehood, but has not yet received international recognition by other states. This is leading to hardship and a feeling of being shunned by its 555,000 residents. The isolation is seen as potentially disturbing for future security developments in the Black Sea region, with some leading experts recommending that a "cold shoulder" approach is destabilizing and that it is better to bring the new and emerging state into a formal framework within the international system as soon as possible.
- Open Letter to the International Community
Protesting the isolation of Pridnestrovie by the international community, the demonstrators composed an appeal in the form of an Open Letter to the International Community. The appeal is is directed to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the Council of Europe (CoE), and the United Nations (UN), among others in the international community.
The Tiraspol Times reproduces the complete text of the open letter:
" On 10 December 2006, the Pridnestrovskaia Moldavskaia Respublica held Presidential elections which concluded with an overwhelming win by President Igor Smirnov. Thus, the people of Pridnestrovie again confirmed its firm commitment to the construction of an independent, sovereign and democratic State, recognizing universal human values and focused on a policy of full respect for human rights.
The 16 years of our existence prove convincingly that the Pridnestrovskaia Moldavskaia Respublica is an independent, sovereign and self-sufficient state with a developed economy, infrastructure, as well as all the necessary attributes and public institutions found in any other country in the world.
The people of Pridnestrovie, united around their government and its leaders, have consistently and steadily implemented the basic concepts of freedom, equality and independence. The only thing lacking is a formal recognition of our State by the international community.
Based on the results of the nationwide referendum on 17 September of this year and the election of the President of the republic, we appeal to you to objectively, unprejudiced and openly recognize our homeland, the Pridnestrovskaia Moldavskaia Respublica, as a fully recognized, independent, sovereign State and a full-fledged member of the international community of nations and peoples. "
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.
An international legal study published earlier this year arrived at the same conclusion, noting that Pridnestrovie - also known as Transnistria, or Transdniester - meets all the requirements for statehood under international law. It also concluded that if recognition has not yet been forthcoming, this is due to subjective political factors and not to an objective interpretation of the principles of state recognition under international law.
See also:
» Record-breaking rally in Tiraspol as thousands celebrate Smirnov landslide
» Still unrecognized, Pridnestrovie celebrates 16 years of de facto independence
On the web:
» State Sovereignty of PMR under international law
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe is glad to see progress in one of the continent's oldest "frozen conflicts". Local OSCE-head Philip Remler welcomed the resumption of direct dialogue between Transdniestria and Moldova. Transdniestria hopes that the talks will bring it a step closer to international recognition of its independence. . . 
