statehood

On Tuesday British Ambassador John Beyer came to Tiraspol for an official visit to Transdniestria's Parliament. In return, head of Parliament Yevgeny Shevchuk, 39, will be in London next week. He will address a conference on Transdniestria which takes place in the British capital on May 7.

For the first time in more than two years, all participants in the "5+2" Moldova/Transdniestria status talks sat down at the same table. Negotiations center on Transdniestria's future, and whether or not its people will have a say in their own destiny. The initial meeting took place in Odessa.

Delegations from Moldova and Transdniestria are having new talks in Odessa this Monday. The meeting is the second in less than a week, and follows more than two years of stalled negotiations. Transdniestria hopes that Moldova will sign a friendship and co-operation treaty.

In the words of the local American Ambassador, everyone wants prosperity for both Moldova and Transdniestria. Meeting with Transdniestria's Parliament in Tiraspol, Michael Kirby expressed optimism on the resumption of talks between the Presidents of the two sides. He also said that the United States will continue its program of providing aid to farmers in Transdniestria.

A leading human rights activist in the North Caucaus says that there is no conflict between the right to self-determination and the principle of territorial integrity of states. Any attempt to link the two and make them mutually exclusive is a smokescreen that twists the real facts of the issue. A Transdniestria-based expert agrees with this interpretation of international law.

Pridnestrovie's President admits that his country hasn't done enough to actively promote its diplomatic interests abroad. Igor Smirnov wants to establish closer ties to some of the many members of the United Nations. In this interview, he re-affirms that international recognition of PMR's independence is the main goal.

There are no signs of any weapons smuggling or arms trafficking of any kind from Pridnestrovie (Transnistria). That is one of the conclusions from the latest report of the EU Border Assistance Mission, EUBAM. The EU monitors are now in the third year of working on the borders between Moldova, Pridnestrovie and Ukraine.

Whether the West likes it or not, Kosovo's independence will have a strong ripple effect. So says renowned Caucasus expert Thomas de Waal of London's IWPR. He also adds that re-integration of 'de facto' independent countries into states that "they have nothing in common with" is a fantasy.

If Moldova can't keep its earlier signed agreement then there is no point in signing any new ones. That is the opinion of Pridnestrovie's Foreign Minister, ahead of new status settlement talks with his larger neighbor. Valeri Litskai says that confidence and mutual trust can only be built if both sides start by adhering to what they agreed upon in the recent past.

Pridnestrovie is entering the new year with an attitude of careful, cautious optimism. A Moldovan member of the young country's parliament says that everything will be fine as long as Moldova stops interfering. Attitudes in Moldova changed in the past year, with a majority of the population now willing to let Pridnestrovie have its freedom and independence - however, the government of Moldova still disagrees.