Nikita Kondratov, First Pridnestrovian TV channel:
Vadim Nikolaevich, good afternoon! A lot of different things are now being written and said about Pridnestrovie, including by the Moldovan authorities. For example, Deputy Prime Minister for so-called reintegration Oleg Serebryan says that Romanians live in Grigoriopol and calls Pridnestrovians separatists. The law on separatism has been adopted. How would you comment on all this information noise around our country?
Vadim Krasnoselsky, the PMR President:
Yes, Nikita, this is a burning question. It was not yesterday that they started calling us separatists. This story is more than thirty years old. It always irritated me, I felt it was unfair. Not only felt, but I knew. Unfortunately, this term “separatism”, which is “accelerating” in Moldova, puts pressure on people. I would like today to show what separatism really is, who is a separatist and why they “disperse” in Moldova the term “separatist”, pointing to the Pridnestrovians. Why do they sow hostility in this way? Who needs this?
My legal conclusions will be based solely on Moldovan legislation. The fundamental legislation of Moldova is the Declaration of Independence, which was proclaimed on August 27, 1991, and related documents, which are referred to, which were adopted either by the parliament or other organizations of Moldova.
To begin with, let’s open the 1999 edition of the legal encyclopedia and read: “Separatism (from Latin separatus) is the desire for separation, isolation; a movement for the separation of part of the state and the creation of a new state or for autonomy for part of state territories”.
Indeed, it would seem that everyone is separatist in Pridnestrovie, but let's touch on history a little bit. We once actually lived in a common territorial entity – the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic as part of the USSR. Those who remember will understand me. It was a golden time for Moldova – time of development, prosperity, friendship of peoples, development of the Moldavian language, culture, traditions, customs. Moldova was presented as a flourishing land. It was true. It was built, developed, everything was fine. People of the older generation remember this time with both joy and pain, because they lost what God gave to this land for all its suffering.
Let me remind you how the Moldavian SSR was created. The Moldavian SSR was created in accordance with the Resolution of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on August 2, 1940. How did this happen? There were two entities until August 2, 1940: Bessarabia, which was part of royal Romania, and the MASSR (Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic), which was proclaimed in October 1924. By the way, this year marks the 100th anniversary of our statehood. It was an autonomy within Soviet Ukraine. Two subjects - Bessarabia as part of royal Romania, MASSR as part of the Soviet Union as an autonomy of Ukraine.
Special protocols and annexes determined the territorial structure of Europe after the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was signed on August 23, 1939. We are not going to discuss what kind of act it was, what dictators, and so on. This is secondary. This is a special topic for discussion. Here we can talk about the Munich Agreement, the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact – there are cause-and-effect relationships, but we are not talking about that now. We are talking about the fact that this was the starting point – the creation of the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic. The MSSR was created on August 2, 1940. How? Bessarabia is already annexed to the existing Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. We didn’t come there; Bessarabia was annexed to us. Moldova was annexed to the MASSR and the MSSR was created. This is important to understand. Of course, the basis was the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact on the division of territories.
The most interesting is the following. Why did the Moldavian SSR cease to exist as a territorial unit, as a former republic of the Soviet Union? What decisions formed the basis for the dismemberment of the MSSR? Of course, we must remember the phase of the collapse of the Soviet Union, the so-called parade of sovereignties. In a modern way – a parade of separatism that is a movement for the sovereignty of all union republics from the Soviet Union. Almost all the union republics followed this path; decisions were made by the Supreme Councils, that is legitimate authorities. It's actually a tragedy, but that is another story. The Moldavian SSR followed this path. The Moldavian SSR deputies adopted the Declaration of Sovereignty on June 23, 1990. Moldavian parliamentarians took it a step further: they began to isolate historical documents and recognize them as insignificant or illegal – those documents thanks to which the Moldavian SSR was created. I'll give you a couple of examples. In addition to the Declaration of Sovereignty of June 23, 1990 the parliament adopted Resolution No. 149 dated June 23, 1990 on the conclusion of the Commission of the Supreme Soviet of the SSR of Moldova on the political-legal assessment of the Soviet-German Non-Aggression Treaty and Additional secret protocol of August 23, 1939 – this document is available on the Internet, in the public domain. The document was adopted on June 23, and was promulgated on June 23, 1990. This resolution approved the illegality of the proclamation of the Moldavian SSR on August 2, 1940. I will read the conclusion: “The illegal proclamation of the Moldavian SSR on August 2, 1940 was an act of dismemberment of Bessarabia and Bukovina. The transfer of Northern Bukovina and the districts of Khotyn, Izmail and Chetatya Alba to the jurisdiction of the Ukrainian SSR contradicted the historical truth and ethnic reality of that time”. Illegal proclamation! Thus, the resolution actually put an end to the Moldavian SSR, dividing the Moldavian SSR into two entities: historical Bessarabia and the MASSR. They did not forget to indicate their claims regarding Ukraine at the same time, but that is another question.
Let's focus on another document. This is the Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Moldova adopted by the Parliament of Moldova in Chisinau on August 27, 1991. This is the most important document of Moldova. This document has supreme legal force over the Constitution. There is a decision of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Moldova on this score that the declaration has supreme legal force over the Constitution of Moldova. What is written there? The following: “Taking into account that the parliaments of many states in their declarations consider the agreement concluded on August 23, 1939 between the Government of the USSR and the Government of Germany to be invalid from the very beginning and require the elimination of political and legal consequences, which was noted by the International Conference “Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and its consequences for Bessarabia" in the Chisinau Declaration adopted on June 28, 1991".
Let's take for example the following document. This is the Declaration of Chisinau of the International Conference on the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and its consequences for Bessarabia, which took place on June 26-28, 1991. What is important to note here is also a conclusion. I won't read the whole thing. Excerpt: “...participants of the First International Conference to analyze the consequences of the Molotov- Ribbentrop Pact, based on the universal values of freedom and democracy, consider that the Pact and the Secret Additional Protocol to it are invalid, their consequences must be eliminated”. That is, the Declaration of Independence directly speaks of the need to eliminate the legal consequences of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. And: “At the same time, we express confidence that the complex processes of profound transformations... will ensure the full realization of the inalienable right to national freedom of the Romanians of Bessarabia...”. Please, I didn’t come up with this, Moldovan politicians and lawyers came up with this. I'm just quoting. The declaration of independence. I continue: “Emphasizing that, without asking the population of Bessarabia, northern Bukovina and the Herta region, forcibly captured on June 28, 1940, as well as the population of the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (Pridnestrovie), formed on October 12, 1924, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, even in violation of its constitutional powers, adopted on August 2, 1940 the USSR Law “On the Formation of the Union Moldavian SSR” - normative acts that tried to justify, in the absence of any real legal justification, the dismemberment of these territories and the affiliation of the new republic with the USSR”. The Declaration of Independence clearly states the nullity of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and that the Moldavian SSR was created illegally. Full stop. Let me remind you that the Moldavian SSR was created on August 2, 1940 by uniting the MASSR and Bessarabia. Bessarabia was annexed to the MASSR. This is the historical territory of Pridnestrovie and of Moldova as they are called now. Thus, then Moldovan parliamentarians, Moldovan officials, politicians, lawyers and so on put an end to the Moldavian SSR.
The Soviet republics declared their sovereignty then with the collapse of the Soviet Union, but Moldova took it a step further. They managed to leave not only the Soviet Union, but the Moldavian SSR. I want to ask the officials of the Republic of Moldova: do you recognize the Declaration of Independence of your state? Yes or no? If yes, then eliminate the legal consequences of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and the illegal creation in your words of the Moldavian SSR. Recognize Pridnestrovie. There is no other way out. All other laws on the so-called left bank statuses contradict your declaration of independence. There can be no talk of any autonomy. You must give up these territories. This is your responsibility under the Declaration of Independence.
They destroyed the Moldavian SSR and created two entities. This was an act of separatism in essence. As I read from the legal encyclopedia – separation of states.
Nikita Kondratov, First Pridnestrovian TV channel:
Soviet Union and MSSR, right?
Vadim Krasnoselsky, the PMR President:
Absolutely correct. There was a double fact, but I’m talking specifically about the Moldavian SSR now. It is more fateful for us. Moldovan parliamentarians destroyed the MSSR. In addition, this is the most important factor if we consider the formation of the PMR, we were not only abandoned de jure, but abandoned de facto, we were denied legal assistance. Please imagine: at the time of the formation of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic and at the time of the dismemberment of the Moldavian SSR parliament, people lived here – somewhere around 800 thousand. Life went on, it was necessary to pay pensions, benefits, and ensure the rights and freedoms of citizens. What happened? People who lived specifically in Pridnestrovie were denied basic legal assistance. If necessary I can give examples when the Moldovan police and prosecutor’s office did not accept citizens’ statements regarding murders committed here, on the territory of Pridnestrovie. Can you imagine this? It was. People were deprived of everything: freedoms, the right to life, the right to health, and so on. What could those deputies who remained here do? Create something called a state mechanism, create a state, create those structures that will ensure rights and freedoms.
Nikita Kondratov, First Pridnestrovian TV channel:
To protect Pridnestrovie.
Vadim Krasnoselsky, the PMR President:
To protect the people, just protect the people. This is how the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, Pridnestrovie was created. This was a necessary measure to protect the people who lived here – these are facts. Therefore, the separatists are precisely the side, the officials who destroyed the MSSR. Which is confirmed by the Declaration of Independence. Please read it. That’s all.
I want to appeal to citizens living in Moldova. There are people who think and are interested. Read, listen to me, and you will understand that we are not separatists, we are a normal neighbor who wants peace, creation, who wants stability in your neighboring state. You are a neighboring state, we are a particular subject. These are products of the Declaration of Independence of Moldova. It happened. Different peoples live here. Bessarabian Romanians live there, as it is written in your documents. Unfortunately, yes. We have a Pridnestrovian multinational people, consisting of 72 nationalities and nationalities. This must be taken into account, but why has the Moldovan government been simply stamping the term “separatist” in relation to the Pridnestrovian people into the heads of its citizens for more than 30 years? Why are they sowing enmity between us? We want to see Moldova as a prosperous state that must choose its own path of development. We are not against any path: make decisions as you wish. Our people of Pridnestrovie will decide their fate themselves. This has been done more than once. Why do Moldovan officials do this, why do they sow hostility, accuse us of separatism, why did they introduce a law on separatism?
Nikita Kondratov, First Pridnestrovian TV channel:
Are they looking for extreme ones in their own mistakes?
Vadim Krasnoselsky, the PMR President:
I think that in many ways, yes. As for the law on separatism adoption purpose, about its consequences, its assessments by European human rights structures, I will answer next time, exactly in a week.
Nikita Kondratov, First Pridnestrovian TV channel:
Thank you, we will see you again in a week and talk about the law on separatism
Vadim Krasnoselsky, the PMR President:
For sure.
