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A budget shortfall is forcing cutbacks in social programs, such as free hospital care provided by the state

TIRASPOL (Tiraspol Times) - The PMR Parliament, led by opposition politician Yevgeny Shevchuk of the Renewal partyy, passed a resolution seeking foreign assistance to improve the economy of the unrecognized country.

Specifically, Parliament requests Russia's help in lifting what it calls a blockade imposed on Pridnestrovie’s foreign trade. It also seeks Russia's collaboration in shouldering some of the burden for providing pensions and other financial aid to Russian citizens living within the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR or Pridnestrovie, for short, as well as known under unofficial names such as Transnistria and Transdniester).

The budget shortfall is forcing cutbacks and in some cases even elimination of a number of social programs, including the funds assigned for Russian pensioners. Other areas affected are health and human services, with hospitals on life support and doctors seeking creative ways to keep providing services and care to the country's patients.

"Deprived of social and economic development"

In a document approved by the Russian-speaking republic's Supreme Council, its parliament, the lawmakers ask their Russian colleagues to initiate discussions on unblocking the region's foreign economic activity and render financial help to Russian nationals living in Pridnestrovie. Many here hold Russian passports.

" - Under conditions of a permanent blockade and restrictions, the residents of Pridnestrovie are in point of fact deprived of the right to normal social and economic development," the document said.

Since March 2006, export-dependent Pridnestrovie has been under severe customs restrictions, which were imposed by neighboring Ukraine at Moldova's request in a move which Tiraspol has qualified as an economic blockade.

It has been a serious blow to the ex-Soviet region's struggling economy, causing a halt in deliveries of goods to Ukraine over the lack of an official Moldovan customs stamp. Many businesses have refused to give in to Moldova's pressure, citing Pridnestrovie's strongly held desire for independence and a lack of any historical shared past with Moldova.

The PMR legislators said welfare laws granting benefits to such categories of residents as the disabled, orphans, pensioners, the poor, blood donors and social workers have ceased to be implemented locally.

"Considering the shortage of budget revenues in January-February 2007, social funding is in a critical situation," the document says.

The lawmakers said that although a set of measures was being taken in search of internal reserves to stabilize the country's economy, such measures could not lead to a drastic improvement without extra aid, given the continuing pressure which Moldova applies on Pridnestrovie.

Text of Parliament's statement

Members of Parliament passed a resolution to petition the Council of the Federation and the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation. The petition reads as follows: “Under conditions of a permanent blockade and restrictions, the people of Pridnestrovie are effectively being deprived of their right to normal social and economic progress. Laws aimed at fulfilling the state’s liabilities, including giving benefits to such categories of citizens as the disabled, orphans, pensioners, the needy, donors and social workers are as a result being suspended”.

“Considering the shortage of budget revenues in January-February 2007, social funding is in a critical situation. Poverty is taking root in the republic and, as lots of states have already learned by experience, this paves the way for such negative and dangerous phenomena as demographic crisis conditions, rising crime, extremism, none of which promotes democracy but rather poses a threat to stability in the region.”

“Under these difficult conditions, a complex of measures is taken to accumulate internal resources and to stabilize the economy of the republic. However, in view of the ongoing and continuing pressure on Pridnestrovie, the situation can not be improved without extra help.”

“Parliament therefore appeals the Council of the Federation and the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation with a request to initiate a consideration of issues on lifting a blockade imposed on Pridnestrovie’s foreign trade and providing financial aid to Russian citizens living in the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic.” (With information from vspmr.org, RIA Novosti)

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