 | 99 COUNTRIES already have open trade relations with the export oriented business sector in Pridnestrovie. Will diplomatic relations be next? [more] |  | | |  | KISSINGER says negotiations will only succeed if they reflect an objective reality. For Moldova and Pridnestrovie, it means both must face the facts on the ground. [more] |
| ||||||
Human rights case says citizenship is a birthright
It may not be worth much outside the borders of Pridnestrovie, "but it is ours". That is the attitude of the locals when it comes to their citizenship. In a new human rights case, the country's Ombudsman guarantees everyone the right to citizenship by virtue of birth.
Uncertain future? Baby born at a state-run Tiraspol hospital: A new citizen of the new and emerging countryTIRASPOL (Tiraspol Times) - Pridnestrovie is a country which is not on the map: Its neighbors do not recognize it as a sovereign state. If any of its people want to travel, they can't - because officially, they are considered stateless.
Nevertheless, to a majority of the 555,000 inhabitants of the unrecognized country, Pridnestrovian citizenship is important: As a symbol of statehood, it shows that even if no one else want to recognize their wish for self-determination and independence, they themselves do.
" - And in the end, that is really the most important thing," says Vladimir Popescu, a Tiraspol-resident.
The passport which neighboring Moldova considers "worthless toilet paper" is held by close to 100% of the population, as confirmed by the latest official Census. Some, who prefer unification with Moldova, have opted not to carry it and instead use the Moldovan passport.
" - But the vast majority of us are Pridnestrovians first and foremost. We have Pridnestrovie's citizenship and passport, even if we can't travel abroad on those documents," explains Popescu.
- Pridnestrovie citizenship is a birthright by law
By law, everyone born in Pridnestrovie has an automatic birthright to citizenship in the country. The local Human Rights Ombudsman has received complaints that this law is not being observed, and that there has been discrimination of at least one child with a Moldovan mother.
Head of Staff of the Human Rights Ombudsman Office Oleg Belyakov says that the office received complaints regarding the enforcement of the PMR Citizenship Law. According to Belyakov, a child born in the territory of PMR is not issued with a birth certificate unless both parents are PMR citizens, leading to a complaint from a young couple where this was not the case.
" - In this case, the father holds a citizenship of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, but the mother is a citizen only of the Republic of Moldova," said Oleg Belyakov. "According to the petition filed by the family of the Rostovs they were refused a birth certificate for their daughter – Valeria Vladimirovna Rostova, born on 15 August 2006 in Slobodzeya hospital – on the ground that her mother doesn’t hold a citizenship of PMR."
On 14 February 2007 the Human Rights Ombudsman Office of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic petitioned the Head of the Registry Office of Slobodzeya district for explanation of reasons for the refusal to issue a birth certificate.
On 6 March 2007 the Ombudsman was given a notice that the Rostovs were refused to be issued with a birth certificate for their daughter because Mrs. Rostova had not produced papers confirming that she held PMR citizenship or her residence permit under paragraph d) of the joint Ordinance of the Justice Ministry and Interior Ministry of PMR.
The Human Rights Ombudsman drafted a petition to the Justice Ministry stating that the above-mentioned ordinance is an inter-departmental act, which may not have priority over the Law on citizenship of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic under which a person born on the territory of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic is a PMR citizen by birth.
" - The Ministry of Justice took our petition into consideration," said Oleg Belyakov. "A new joint ordinance of the Justice Ministry and Interior Ministry of PMR is currently being drafted to introduce amendments to the above specified ordinance. We hope for the fast settlement of the problem, however, these new citizens can not receive maternity allowances and birth certificates for over 7 months."
- Grassroots recognition of the small country
Oleg Belyakov, Head of Staff of the Human Rights Ombudsman Office, did not explain why someone would want to be a citizen of a country which, de jure, does not exist in the eyes of the rest of the world. But nearly all of the 550,000 inhabitants of Pridnestrovie have chosen to become citizens.
The desire for international recognition and independent statehood is shared by some 95% of the voters, according to last year's referendum results. And in the end, as Vladimir Popescu says, what really matters is that the country is recognized by those who live there.
" - It is not international recognition," says Popescu. "But it is much more valuable: It is a bottom-up grassroots recognition of our little country by nearly everyone who lives in it."
Anna Volkova, a historian, agrees: "Our country is already recognized by its people. A country can exist even without formal international recognition. What matters most is that our country is already recognized by its own people."
See also:
» Less than 10% seek to be citizens of Moldova
» Anna Volkova: "Our country is already recognized by its people"
On the web:
» Census results from Pridnestrovie
A conference held at the European Parliament in Brussels concluded that unrecognized states like Pridnestrovie need a way to be heard by the world. "It is necessary to create and sustain permanent mechanisms of involvement and consultation of unrecognized state entities in the international community". This will benefit everyone, says the event's official statement. . . 
