Transnistria rejects union with Moldova; won't send soldiers to Iraq war

While Moldova is part of the coalition war in Iraq (shown), Pridnestrovie maintains its independence and neutrality

TIRASPOL (Tiraspol Times) - Reactions in Tiraspol, the capital of Pridnestrovie, were derisive in response to an official statement by Moldova's President Vladimir Voronin about that country's continued active involvement in the Iraq war.

" - He can send all the troops he want, but we are not part of Moldova and we will not go to Iraq and die for him," said a Tiraspol resident who asked to remain anonymous.

An official statement issued by the press service of the Presidency of the Republic of Moldova quoted the Communist Party leader and President of Moldova as "making a contribution to international security."

The President announced that, in his eyes, the presence of Moldovan soldiers in Iraq improves the image of Moldova.

That image was severely tarnished when Moldova was connected to the 2006 supply of 200,000 Kalashnikov rifles that fell into the hands of insurgents in Iraq. Earlier, the United States had sanctioned two Moldovan firms with official involvement for supplying weapons to the region. A Moldovan transport airplane which perished in Iraq in January of 2007 was also tied to gunrunning.

No union between the two sides of the Dniester

" - The participation of Moldavian soldiers in Iraq has a great significance for creating a favorable image of Moldova," said Vladimir Voronin during an official ceremony in Chisinau, his country's capital, where he awarded recently returned survivors from Iraq with Moldovan medals.

Local anti-war activists, led by Petru Gladchi, explain that this is one more reason why Pridnestrovie will not join Moldova within a unified state:
" - If we are part of Moldova, we can be sent to Iraq to die. Moldova sends troops to Iraq. We will never agree to that. We do not want to be part of their country and fight in wars against countries far, far away."

Gladchi, himself an ethnic Moldovan, defends Pridnestrovie's independence by pointing to the multi-ethnic culture of the small, selfdeclared country:
" - The last census showed that 35 different races live here. Most people are Slavs, but even ethnic Moldovans like myself are in favor of independence. Different cultures and races are respected here, and there is no discrimination against minorities like in Moldova."

According to Gladchi, Pridnestrovie seeks friendly international relations with all races and people, in every country in the world, regardless of race, religious or political orientation. He states that Pridnestrovie is not the kind of country to go to war against anyone, including the legitimate and elected government of a free and democratic Iraq.

Pridnestrovie and Moldova have historically always been separated by the Dniester river, except for a brief period of less than fifty years when Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin imposed a forced union within a quasi-state entity, not a country, called the Moldavian SSR. Upon the fall of the Soviet Union, Pridnestrovie declared independence in 1990 and Moldova followed suit one year later, in 1991. At no time in history has Pridnestrovie (or Transdniestria, as it is also called) ever been part of an independent Moldova and it rejects Moldova's claim that it is somehow part of Moldova's "territorial integrity". Pridnestrovie was never asked if it wanted to be part of the 1991-created Republic of Moldova, and a referendum held in Pridnestrovie in 2006 showed that 94% of its nearly 600,000 citizens are strongly opposed to such a union.

Moldovan gunrunning to the Middle East

According to a government source in Turkey, there are strong indicators of Moldovan involvement in the supply of 200,000 arms to Muslim insurgents in Iraq. A report published by the United Nations in 2006 confirms that Moldova withheld significant data on transfers of small arms and light weapons of the type used by militant Iraq insurgents against American troops. Information about the transfers were not reported internationally. Whenever investigative journalists inquired about Moldovan arms turning up in troublespots, the government of Moldova as well as quasi-governmental spokespeople such as former presidential advisor Oazu Nantoi quickly blamed Transnsitria, its name for Pridnestrovie, despite the fact that there is no proof of landlocked Transnistria ever having been involved in weapons smuggling of any kind.

Although asked repeatedly for proof, Moldova has never been able to provide any evidence of alleged PMR involvement with illegal trade in weapons. In contrast, proof of Moldovan gunrunning, especially to groups in the Middle East, is widely available. In 2002 the US Government sanctioned two Moldovan companies for selling selling small arms and other military equipment to Iran. Later, an investigation put the spotlight on the transfer of huge amounts of Kalashnikov rifles and ammo to Islamic troublespots, some of which was reported in both the British newspaper the Guardian and as part of a U.N.-published arms control survey.

See also:
» Moldova plane crash in Iraq tied to insurgency arms smuggling