[0]
Deputy Federation Council Speaker Alexander Torshin: "Ethnic cleansing took place in the unrecognized republics"MOSCOW (Tiraspol Times) - Three unrecognized countries - Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Pridnestrovie - appealed on Monday to the United Nations, OSCE, EU and CIS to help prevent bloodshed in these republics and to contribute to the strengthening of a lasting peace.
The small states issued their appeal during the second plenary session of the Inter-parliamentary Assembly of these three new and emerging countries, under the auspieces of their jointly formed Community for Democracy and Human Rights.
The general secretary of the assembly, PMR's Grigory Marakutsa, said “all kinds of crimes against peace and humankind can be traced in actions of the Georgian armed forces on the territory of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and Moldova’s armed forces on the territory of Pridnestrovie”.
Marakutsa, an ethnic Moldovan who was born in Pridnestrovie when it was part of the Soviet Union, has been an important part of the young country's independence movement from the very beginning. Considered a "founding father" in Pridnestrovie, he was one of the signers of the 2 September 1990 declaration of independence.
Marakutsa, an ethnic Moldovan, says no-thanks to union with Moldova.
In 1991, Marakutsa stood as a candidate for president against Igor Smirnov but lost. He later served as Speaker of PMR's Parliament until 2005. In December of 2005, opposition party Renewal won a surprise majority and unseated the pro-presidential Republican Party from the leadership of the legislature.
- Moldova carried out ethnic cleansing, claims senator
The deputy chairman of the Russian Federation Council upper house of parliament, Alexander Torshin, for his part, told Tass that “according to reliable sources, acts of ethnic cleansing have taken place in the unrecognized republics, and we shall look into them and make necessary decisions”. However, “a view of that issue must be unbiased and objective,” he stressed.
In 1992, Moldova - which is overwhelmingly ethnic Romanian - attempted to invade Pridnestrovie (also known as Transnistria or Transdniester), which has a population more than two-thirds Slavic. The attacks failed but left more than 1,500 dead. Most of the fatalities were suffered by the defenders, i.e. the people of Pridnestrovie.
The war also creaed an estimated total of 100,000 refugees from the left bank of the Dniester. Of those, only around 1,000 went to Moldova. The rest fled Moldova's forces and left for safe havens in Ukraine and Russia.
Since Moldova primarily targeted ethnic Russians and other Slavs, independent human rights groups have consistently found that the war included acts of ethnic cleansing by Moldova. These reports are now under scrutiny by Russia's upper house.
The upper house is equivalent to the US Senate, with Torshin holding a position equivalent to Senator and President pro tempore, a position held in the United States Senate by Senator Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia.
But it wasn't just Russia's upper house which let its voice by heard in favor of democracy in the unrecognized states. A special envoy of President Vladimir Putin also advocated freedom and self-determination for Pridnestrovie and the other members of the Community for Democracy and Human Rights.
The head of the department for inter-regional and cultural ties with foreign states under the Russian president, Modest Kolerov, told Tass that the process of acknowledgement of genocide of the Ossetian people has already started.
“ -These days it is being discussed at the legislative level in Russian regions. Documents are already arriving,” said Kolerov.
“- There are no doubts whatsoever that the facts described in these documents, including in numerous books illustrating events of those times, did indeed take place,” he added.
- Trade, democracy and international integration
Today, many in Russia believe that there is no point in turning back the clock. Instead, they want to look to the future and help the populations of the unrecognized countries achieve closer co-operation and integration with the international community. Programs aimed at building bridges to other countries are currently underway, seeking democratization and international collaboration.
“ - Most citizens here support the policy of rendering assistance to the people of Abkhazia, Transdnestr and South Ossetia. In this case, the country's leadership is leaning upon people’s will,” said the director of Political Studies Institute, Member of the Russian Public Chamber Sergey Markov at a news conference Monday after a session of the Interparliamentary Assembly of the Community for Democracy and Human Rights, a Regnum correspondent reports.
“- Russia’s most important contribution to assist those republics will be their unblocking and granting them opportunities for normal development,” Markov noted. Shunning the unrecognized countries and isolating them with economic blockades and embargos is a vicious cycle which creates more poverty, hatred and mistrust. Opening up these states to freedom, trade, prosperity and democracy will bring the credibility to the international community and will help not only the people living in the unrecognized states, but also the neighboring countries by providing stability on their borders. (With information from Itar-Tass, Regnum)
See also:
» United Nations petitioned by Pridnestrovie, two other unrecognized countries [1]
» PMR Foreign Minister defends United Nations appeal against Moldova [2]