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OSCE's Marc Perrin de Brichambaut sees recognition of Transdniestria as a realistic possibility (Photo: OSCE/Mikhail Evstafiev)

VIENNA (Tiraspol Times) - Although international recognition of the 17 year old 'de facto' independence of Pridnestrovie (Transdniestria) is still a taboo in the Western European political establishment and Euro-Atlantic policy circles, some are now breaking ranks and at least considering the possibility or inevitability of this outcome.

In a diplomatic equivalent of "Who Farted?", OSCE Secretary General Marc Perrin de Brichambaut was quoted by the Austrian press as seriously considering a future partial recognition of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR) by a number of countries.

While not yet going as far as to positively endorse such an outcome, the French diplomat says that if Kosovo announces its independence, Russia can recognize Abkhazia and Transdniestria immediately afterwards.

Pridnestrovie - or Transnistria / Transdniester, as it is better known - declared independence in 1990 and has been functioning as a separate, sovereign state for nearly 17 years. Despite a lack of international recognition in this time, it meets the requirements for statehood under international law with a territory, a permanent population, defined borders and a functioning government. Located between Moldova and Ukraine, it is slightly richer than Moldova, but with a per capita GDP below that of Ukraine.

PMR linked to Kosovo precedent

In an interview to Der Standard newspaper in Austria, which was published last week, OSCE Secretary General Marc Perrin de Brichambaut said that if Kosovo opts for an unilateral declaration of independence, Russia can recognize independence of both Abkhazia and Transdnestr, as it is also sometimes known in English.

The top OSCE diplomat stated the UN Security Council started a long stage of discussions on the Kosovo issue. "The consultations can continue for the whole April and May, right up to the G8 summit in Germany, in which Russian President Vladimir Putin is planned to take part and where presidents and prime ministers will not manage to avoid this subject. Here the question of reciprocal action that the Russians can take is to appear," Brichambaut said.

" - If Kosovo pronounces itself an independent state unilaterally, it can be recognized by a number of countries," the OSCE secretary general believes, drawing similar parallels to the situation in Pridnestrovie where the same can happen, just with recognition from a different set of countries.

Such an outcome would place both Kosovo and Pridnestrovie in a small but not very exclusive club of partially shunned independent states which are recognized by some of the world's countries, but not by all. Israel, which is not recognized by the Arab world, is one such country, but the most famous example is Taiwan (officially: Republic of China, or ROC) which has been 'de facto' independent since 1949 but which has no membership of the United Nations and is not formally recognized as a separate, sovereign state by the majority of other countries in the world.

See also:
» OSCE offers to organize elections in Pridnestrovie [1]
» Transdniester opens its doors to OSCE team for weapons inspection [2]
» OSCE-supported study points to vibrant, active civil society [3]