Nikita Kondratov:
Good afternoon! 2023 is already at the finish line. It's time to look back, take stock, draw the right conclusions and move on, of course, forward.
Lydia Salkutsan:
By tradition, the President of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic Vadim Nikolaevich Krasnoselsky is in the studio of the First Pridnestrovian. Good afternoon, Vadim Nikolaevich. How are you?
Vadim Krasnoselsky:
I am fine.
Nikita Kondratov:
Vadim Nikolaevich, do you have strength left by the end of the year?
Vadim Krasnoselsky:
Certainly.
Lydia Salkutsan:
The year was difficult for the republic and geopolitically for the whole world. Hot spots on the map flared up regularly. The situation is complicated. Not only diplomats and officials talk about geopolitics, about politics in general. This is already an everyday topic in kitchens, and people communicate with each other, everyone is worried about it? It’s calm here in Pridnestrovie. Vadim Nikolaevich, is this safety? Do threats and risks remain for Pridnestrovie?
Vadim Krasnoselsky:
You started your question by saying that the year was difficult. I’ve been in your studio many times already, and the first question always begins with “it’s been a difficult year...”. I don’t remember that our conversation and interviews began with the fact that the year was easy, and everything was so good and wonderful. This is our fate. It happened this way, and it’s not our fault, of course. The result of all this complexity is the geopolitical catastrophes that took place here on our land. This is the collapse of the Russian Empire and the collapse of the Soviet Union. Of course, epoch-making events leave their negative mark for many decades, if not centuries. Do you understand what the point is? Of course, there are periods of stability in difficult times. We also felt them throughout the history of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic. But mostly it’s a little hard, of course. Other factors are aggravating in addition to this, such as the pandemic (it was not easy, and we responded to this challenge), now the fighting in Ukraine, which has aggravated the situation not only regionally, but European and global. We live in these conditions. Everything that happens outside of Pridnestrovie affects Pridnestrovie naturally. If anyone thinks that the fighting will not affect Pridnestrovie in any way, they are mistaken. It’s the same as, for example, when there was a pandemic, we would have announced: “You know, the pandemic will not affect us. It will be everywhere, but will not affect us. No one who is sick will come here, we won’t have anything, people won’t die”. It would be a lie. This would be an attempt to evade organizing the process of saving people. By the way, many people did this. There have been such statements in the world, you know them very well. We soberly assessed the situation and understood that both the pandemic and the fighting in Ukraine are negative factors and will definitely spread to Pridnestrovie to one degree or another, of course. This includes logistics, economic relations, the work of our enterprises, teams, and so on. We see all this in Pridnestrovie. Our task is to consolidate and minimize losses, always thinking about development. It is within our power, no matter how difficult it may be. There are many challenges, including the danger that hangs over us, namely the military danger. Of course, we need to think about this.
I am convinced that there should not be war in Pridnestrovie. You see my contacts with international colleagues, diplomats, ambassadors, organizations, representatives of the OSCE and the European Union. I explain in detail why hostilities cannot be allowed to break out in Pridnestrovie. Basically, they hear me. I feel the general mood of Moldova, the European Union, Western countries, the Russian Federation, and Ukraine that the escalation of the conflict on the territory of Pridnestrovie should not be allowed. It's a difficult job. We have experienced terrorist attacks - both those committed and those that were prevented, thank God, we did not allow the mass death of people. This is also our history. We didn't get angry. We are trying on the contrary – even using the example of these terrorist attacks, which did not take place thank God and were prevented – to show that this is bad, that this is a path to nowhere, a path to escalation. This is the first direction – regarding the military topic.
For example, economic theme. Moldova does not behave like a partner, infringing on our economic agents, sometimes for a reason, sometimes without a reason. It's all work, a lot of work. No matter how difficult it is, you need to have a negotiation platform, stand on it, talk and move forward. As soon as the negotiation process stops, as soon as one of the parties begins to deceive the other, everything collapses, diplomacy collapses, military people come into action. Military people can easily take action on command, but stopping the process of war is much more difficult than preventing it. The best victorious war is the victory in a war that was not started. That's it, pretty much like this. Pridnestrovie strives to preserve peace. I as the President, my colleagues, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and all other partners who are around us, we and our allies strive to prove the inadmissibility of the conflict here, very dire consequences, and thereby preserve peace not only in Pridnestrovie, but also in the regional space as a whole.
Nikita Kondratov:
Vadim Nikolaevich, they continue to arm Moldova at the same time. All year we read the news that they were being supplied with tanks, rifles, airplanes, air defense, and the budget for the army was increased. They constantly conduct regular exercises with NATO armies. They even entered kitchen-gardens. Local residents were not happy to put it mildly. Kitchen-gardens - okay, but they sometimes enter the Safety Zone. There is regular shooting. Pridnestrovians hear this and worry, of course. What do you think Moldova is preparing for? Why is it being armed?
Vadim Krasnoselsky:
When someone arms himself, it is for a purpose. This is what common sense suggests. Of course, we need in this regard to look at what weapons are coming in: offensive, lethal, defensive. The specialist’s task is to evaluate those weapons with which one can start aggression. This is done by specialists and reported to me. Of course, we are well aware of what is coming to Moldova. There is war all around, that’s the nuance. Many states are involved in it: permanent, proxy – you can call it different things. War is war. Naturally, border states think about their security and have the right to arm themselves to one degree or another. The question for Moldova is different. The status of neutrality is constitutionally enshrined in Moldova. If Moldova announces its withdrawal from this status, for example, then this will already be a challenge. There is another point, it is very important to pay attention to it. The fact that somewhere they are entering the Security Zone – we have a peacekeeping mission, we have a Joint Control Command, that is, the mechanisms of a peacekeeping operation that should record these violations, work to ensure that such manifestations of negative did not have. We must look at all this with caution, of course. I am not enthusiastic about the armament of any neighboring state. Naturally. We need to think about this, work on ourselves.
Lydia Salkutsan:
As for negotiation process, you always say that the “5+2” negotiation format must be continued, and we must work on it. But it has been in a stupor - due to the fault of Moldova since 2019. There are proposals to change it. You met with Ambassador at Large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Rogovey in Tiraspol in mid-December. He stated that Ukraine is for a peaceful settlement of the Moldovan-Pridnestrovian conflict, but without Russia. So, there is no Russia in the format. That is, “1+1”. The statements of some Moldovan politicians are interesting, that only they will decide in what format the negotiations will proceed. How should we feel about all this?
Vadim Krasnoselsky:
I will explain our position. Yes, I met with Mr. Rogovey, the Special Representative of Ukraine for Pridnestrovie. He confirmed the axiom, which does not require proof, that peace must be maintained here and the Moldovan-Pridnestrovian conflict must be resolved exclusively peacefully. This is Ukraine's position. It is positive in principle. I'm glad that this is the case. Ukraine’s position is as follows: if the Russian Federation is present at any negotiating platform, be it the “5+2” format or other formats, then Ukraine will not work there. This is their principled position. It's clear why. This requires no further comment. I expressed my position that Pridnestrovie will consistently strive for the work of the “5+2” format, the “Permanent Conference...”. There are different forms: there are remote contact forms, there are separated contact forms. By and large, if there is a desire, then a format can be convened regardless of even these positions. For example, not just to sit opposite each other, possibility to come up with some other forms should be found. As an example: Istanbul meetings were held last week, on Thursday-Friday in Istanbul, where all participants in the “5+2” format were present, even in an expanded format. There were both Russian representatives and Ukrainian representatives. Let's conditionally call this meeting in Istanbul an “informal meeting of the “5+2” format”. It was held, so it’s possible if you want. This means that those who tried to organize were somehow able to come to an agreement. So it's possible. All this is perceived sharply, but time will pass, maybe the severity will go away, and it will be possible to sit down at the negotiating table. Therefore, I in no way exclude the possibility of continuing the work of the “5+2” format and hope for its speedy resumption.
As for the statement of some Moldovan politicians that only they will determine the site, but only narrow-minded politicians can say that. They don't know what they're talking about. It is not for them to make the decision, but for all participants in the “5+2” format at a minimum. There are not only Moldova and Pridnestrovie. You know very well who is included in this format.
As for the “1+1” contacts, we are talking about the President, that is about me personally and about the senior officials of Moldova. We are always ready. We are ready to meet if there is interest, especially since there is an agenda: this includes peace and security guarantees, the economy and the rights of citizens – a social theme, humanitarian issues. We are ready to meet for the sake of moving forward. The ball is in the court of the Moldovan colleagues, let them decide how much they need it.
The fact that the Moldovan side in 2019 actually disrupted the final signature of the “5+2” format protocol in Bratislava in October, and then in November of the same year, then this should be asked from the Moldovan side, from the political representative who was then, from the President, ask them the question: “Why did you do that?” I doubt they did this on their own initiative. There was some kind of program. There was a consolidated decision to disrupt the work of the “5+2” format. For example, the pandemic, then the fighting. We are in such subjective stagnation. We must get out of it and continue the dialogue still, even despite all these obstacles.
Lydia Salkutsan:
Vadim Nikolaevich, you mentioned the Istanbul meetings that took place the day before. Can we announce the results? What are the results of this meeting?
Vadim Krasnoselsky:
Of course we can. Each of the parties of the “5+2” format stated its vision of the development of the regional and Moldovan-Pridnestrovian situation. This was stated by the Russian side, the Ukrainian side, the Moldovan side, the Pridnestrovian side, the European Union and so on. They just made statements. There were and could not be any agreements on this site. It was presented by experts, that is, the experts expressed their opinions. We expressed our opinion, but we have one opinion: we must take into account the will of the Pridnestrovian people – that's it.
Nikita Kondratov:
Vadim Nikolaevich, negotiations are in crisis. Moldova again creates new problems for Pridnestrovie at the same time, in particular economic ones. Our enterprises have problems: Pridnestrovian factories have been blocked from exporting goods. Pridnestrovian products were seen as a military threat in Kishinev. Orders are being disrupted, hundreds of people are out of work, and the budget is not receiving enough money from these enterprises. Pridnestrovian exports are blocked not only to Russia and Belarus, but also to EU countries at the same time. How is Pridnestrovie trying to solve this problem?
Vadim Krasnoselsky:
This is precisely the factor, Nikita, when there is war all around and there will definitely be consequences. These are derivative wars, of course. Naturally, we are hostages of this situation. All our exports to Russia are examined not only under a magnifying glass, but under a microscope I assure you. Unfortunately, if there is any doubt about the dual use of a particular product, this product may not be accepted. In addition, there are problems when our products are not allowed into the EU and non-European countries, of course; there are also such cases: Turkey, Kazakhstan, and so on. A very simple system should work: a commission should meet in Moldova not just once every six months as is their practice, but more often, depending on the performance of our exports, and make decisions. There are specialists there – please look through, analyze, see what contracts were concluded and when – before the hostilities, after the hostilities. Then look at the logistics of these cargoes – that’s all, gentlemen, your problem. The company declares that this is a non-dual-use product, and according to the standards of Moldova, it also does not fall into this group, it is also not dual-use. We must take responsibility and make decisions. I guess that many officials in Moldova are simply afraid to make decisions, they are blowing cold water. We need to be more constructive, and these are all issues of the negotiation process, naturally. We are doing this. Meeting of this commission was supposed to take place on Tuesday in Moldova, where our enterprises were represented in my opinion. We have specialists who are ready to participate in the work of these commissions. The truth is behind us, we are ready to prove that we are right. It is necessary to move this issue forward and solve the problems that exist no matter how difficult it is, and not shy away from solving it. Enterprises suffer, legal entities suffer, and teams suffer, of course. We must provide assistance to the working collectives. We must think about people.
Lydia Salkutsan:
The budget for next year contains articles that deal specifically with support and preferential preferences. It's already been accepted. Representatives of the Supreme Council and the government were gathered at the project stage, something was added, something was removed, discussed, but there was a question about the budget at the final stage, which we are now seeing, about the growth of salaries and pensions. It is still unknown whether it will or will not. The capital fund has been cut, the development fund has been cut. Some programs remain, the Capital Investment Fund remains, there will be construction, but there are disadvantages in many respects. How do you assess the budget for next year based on this situation in general?
Vadim Krasnoselsky:
Every budget we have is consistently tight, you know. How do I estimate the next budget? There are certain risks, but there are also prospects. As for the Capital Investment Fund – yes, it was indeed cut down, but there was a consolidated position, I completely agree with it, that it is still necessary to choose a year and finish those objects that have their own history, unfinished objects that cannot be repaired in one year, transferable, they have accumulated over all 6 years of implementation of the Capital Investment Fund. The amount is not small. We are allocating more than 200 million rubles to complete work on these sites. This is right to reset the construction site and start new objects. There are enough of them. We must complete large, huge facilities of the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Healthcare, culture, towns and villages. This is a good position – correct, verified. We will focus on completing these projects by town and region. Therefore the amount is like this.
Regarding salaries and pensions: we have three areas that will be discussed. You correctly said that I more than once met with the Supreme Council and the Government. You may have shown these meetings on television a couple of times, but they take place on a regular basis. There are a lot of disputes, and in disputes the truth is born. Naturally, we need to listen to everyone. You know, the record for my meeting is 8 hours. They sat down and discussed until they reached a consensus.
Nikita Kondratov:
One meeting?
Vadim Krasnoselsky:
Yes, one meeting.
Nikita Kondratov:
And no one was allowed out of the office?
Vadim Krasnoselsky:
Well, we need to let out – drink tea and so on, of course. We still needed to sit down and solve all the problems, because this is the life of the state. So, 2, 3, 4 hours is normal practice for a budget meeting. we minimize problems that may arise on the platform of the Supreme Council, committees, and so on, thanks to these meetings. When the position is transparent and clear, prepared by experts in figures and text, then it is easier for deputies to understand certain vicissitudes of lawmaking. Not everyone is an expert in economics and law. Thanks to our joint work, in January we will closely approach the issue of increasing wages and pensions. Which path will we take? We plan to raise salaries by about 25%for the ministries of education and social protection. Pensions will be increased maybe by 10-12%, I don’t know, we’ll have to look at it in January, when we understand our balances, our capabilities. As for the Ministry of Healthcare, we are planning to transfer all our medical institutions to a pilot project, as was done in the Republican Clinical Hospital. The Hospital showed good results thanks to this innovation, thanks to optimization. We managed to increase wages by 150 - 200% for employees – from the nurse to the chief doctor. At the same time, please note that we have not fired a single healthcare worker. They are all valuable to us, there are not so many of them in the republic that they need to be fired. I sometimes hear speculation, such as: “they fired doctors, and at this expense they increased wages”. It's a lie. No one has been fired, everyone is working and will continue to work. Naturally, the doctor who works must have the appropriate qualifications. Therefore, this year the Ministry of Healthcare did a very good job, and about 800 employees took advanced training courses at both Pridnestrovian State University and our medical college, and at sites in the Russian Federation, in many cases free of charge. This is Russia's help in this regard. Many Russian universities provided us with assistance: both remotely and on-site, our doctors improved their qualifications. Everyone is at their place of work, and the prospects are quite good in terms of salary increases. As for healthcare workers, we are planning an increase from April 1, because the Ministry of Healthcare and each medical institution individually need to prepare for this. This is not an easy question. Republican Clinical Hospital has been preparing for the pilot project for more than a year. They have passed this path, they already have experience, and we will disseminate this experience and definitely get results.
Nikita Kondratov:
Doctors are not being fired, but there is a catastrophic shortage of them. The personnel issue is acute. This applies not only to medicine, but to all spheres – education, and there is also a shortage of personnel at enterprises. Vadim Nikolaevich, how do you see the solution to this eternal issue? Is it just a matter of wages? How do you think?
Vadim Krasnoselsky:
Not only in salaries. Salary is a basic component, of course; it determines a lot. I communicate with people, with young people, I communicate with students. For example, what the complaints from students were, in particular from Pridnestrovian State University as the main higher educational institution, let’s say? What did they say? They said: look at our university: everything is crumbling, everything is falling down, the bathrooms, excuse me, are not working. This is the problem. The lecture halls are scary, somewhere it’s cold, somewhere there’s no battery, something happened somewhere. This was definitely a challenge. The university should not function in this form. This is a mockery not only of the young man, but of the teachers who are in the same conditions. We have changed a lot in the internal and external condition of building A, building B, and now we will begin repairing building B thanks to the Capital Investment Fund. The development strategy until 2026 involves the renovation of the entire Pridnestrovian State University, including all buildings, including the Faculty of Engineering and Technology. That's right. We dealt with the dormitories where students live, we dealt with the internal technical condition – from furniture to computers, robotics. You've seen it. We have already done what the young people wanted and the teachers wanted, we created the conditions. You can come inhave a look, and make sure that my words are right. You've probably been there, you know everything perfectly well. This is the first point.
The second point that young people paid attention to: our diploma is not recognized in some places, but it is recognized in others. Nevertheless, it has always been recognized in the Russian Federation. What did we do? We have achieved that graduates of the Pridnestrovian State University in all specialties are issued a Pridnestrovian diploma and a diploma of the Russian Federation, which is printed on Goznak of Russia, having the appropriate numbers and seals today. That is, graduates of our university receive a Russian diploma of higher education.
The next point that we were reproached with is that young people have nowhere to go to keep themselves occupied. How many schools provide additional education, music, and art? Six thousand people attend our additional education specifically in the areas of art, culture, and so on. Sports education, sports schools. You can occupy yourself anywhere if you wish. Not to mention the parks, squares, cafes, and affordable catering. Please, this is all available. In principle, we are no different from any state.
The last factor is wages, perhaps the most important. We will take a big step forward in the healthcare system. We are planning this. We will take a step in the Ministry of Education – not as big as in the Ministry of Healthcare, but we will take it. Our tendency and desire is to maximize wages for public sector employees. We will strive for this.
As for the built system, everyone who receives education at the expense of the budget, this applies to the medical faculty, is required to work for 4-5 years, depending on the territory, in accordance with the concluded agreement, signed by them. Therefore, when graduates receive higher education, receive it at the expense of the budget, they must work. This applies to all higher education.
Thus, all these mechanisms must work and produce their results. We can recall the organization of dual education. We are training our working specialists, who are sorely lacking. The work is being carried out successfully. Dual education has already included a lot of enterprises and educational institutions. Is there a result. Yes, it’s difficult now, that’s 100%. If we had not done all this, there would have been such a failure today from which it would be simply impossible to get out of. We are holding out in these difficult conditions.
Lydia Salkutsan:
There are so many places of recreation, festivals, concerts, indeed. Every weekend we have busy, so to speak, mini-holidays. There are a lot of positive reviews. They come to us. Vadim Nikolaevich, by the way I heard from many acquaintances that they stayed here, although there were plans to leave. Moreover, the speakers were not students who had just graduated from Pridnestrovian State University, but already working specialists. We had plans to leave because we didn’t have our own place to live, but we stayed thanks to the fact that you launched the “Affordable Housing” program. We also heard that few people considered that nothing would work out. You believed. Young people who took advantage of this program asked to thank you. Many have already paid because there were soft loans. Everything worked out, everything went well. Now, a cottage community with 132 apartments is already at the finish line at the research institute. This is 132 families. This is ecologically favorable area, arboretum nearby, which is also being restored. That is, the process is underway. Vadim Nikolaevich, are you satisfied with this program and how it is being implemented?
Vadim Krasnoselsky:
I'm happy. I am dissatisfied with only one thing: there are few unfinished projects left. We would implement everything completely and provide people with affordable housing if there were more of them. Building from scratch is very difficult and very expensive. If it was possible to build at one price three years ago, then it is about 80%, or even 100% more expensive today. This is problem. A good option was to complete the unfinished building. The program is now working. We launched two houses in Tiraspol: one in the village of Frunze – the Ministry of Internal Affairs will take care of it, a cooperative has already been created; the other is in Tekstilshchikov Street - the city is involved, a cooperative has also been created. A house in Rybnitsa is also at the finishing line. Two houses are planned in Bendery. Summarizing all of the above, including a cottage cooperative with 132 apartments, which we will rent out at the beginning of September next year, there will be about 1000 apartments for specialists in total. This is a thousand families, this is good, this is a development prospect. In addition, there is a good lending program for the purpose of purchasing secondary housing. Young families have already received 270 apartments to date. Many public sector workers have the opportunity to obtain a certificate and their own housing. This is not only, by the way, apartments. It can be a house in the suburbs or a rural area – at the discretion of the people themselves. People choose their own housing. Nobody is trying to force anything on them. People choose, receive a certificate and buy this home. This is also a good program. We will move forward in this regard.
Nikita Kondratov:
Vadim Nikolaevich, you have repeatedly said that we have our own heroes in Pridnestrovie. It is clear that these were doctors during the pandemic. On the eve of the Great Victory and important historical dates in the formation of our statehood, these are our defenders, of course. Who is the hero of our time in 2023?
Vadim Krasnoselsky:
These are all Pridnestrovian people. Those who heal, teach, protect, defend, care, who think about their home, about Pridnestrovie, who work for the benefit of Pridnestrovie, all Pridnestrovian people. 2023 was a really difficult year: the pandemic was ending, the fighting continued, and there was a question of peace and war. The people worked. They cleaned the streets... They are often criticized: they cleaned the street wrong, so they should have put the snow on the side, but it is below, at the curb. Well, take a shovel yourself and go help. Who works at Spetsavtohozyaystvo? People work with a shovel, people of different ages – both young and not so young. They work in the cold. Someone is driving in a car with good air conditioning and criticizing. In addition, these people frankly receive a small salary. Heads of administrations and local councils need to think about this. This is a municipal program. These people definitely need to be supported.
Exclamations of “it’s the time, it’s not the time” are for weaklings. What, the time will come when we won’t clean the streets? Therefore, everyone is a hero of our time, from a janitor to an official of one rank or another, if he honestly fulfills his duty.
Lydia Salkutsan:
Vadim Nikolaevich, you declared 2024 the Year of Family Values. If the previous years were the Years of healthcare and agriculture, then we understand, yes, that they have their own problems, their own difficulties, which need to be emphasized and drawn to the attention of the whole society. The year of family values... We have a lot of divorces, it's a fact, people get divorced. Is this the only problem? Do we have any other difficulties that you would like us to pay attention to?
Vadim Krasnoselsky:
This is a complex issue. Divorces are especially difficult. You can give a couple of numbers. If we take the history of our state – the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union, modern Pridnestrovie. The proportion of divorces was 2.5% - maximum of 3% of the total number of married couples in the Russian Empire. The percentage was much higher under the Soviet Union, but not the same as today, of course. What is the problem? The problem is that young people do not feel responsible for their family when they decide to take this or that step. Of course, you can’t judge anyone, everyone has their own family, everyone has their own problems. There's no need to rush. Family is work, daily and constant. Family is a compromise. Family is endurance, it is wisdom. Naturally, you must pass certain exams, including the family building exam if you want to achieve something in life. This is also an exam.
Regarding family values, we want to show the importance of family. We want to show that there is no need to rush into a decision. Please, get together and talk. Family values in Pridnestrovie are our traditional values, which we have absorbed for many centuries here on Pridnestrovian soil. We want to show the traditional nature of our values. We didn’t come up with this, I didn’t come up with it when I announced the year. No. I want to emphasize that family values are not an empty phrase. They must be formed, they must be protected.
Family values are an element of democracy both in the family and in the state in general. There is a lot of thinking about what democracy is. This is power of the people. It's clear. There are two points: is democracy a method of governance or a way of life? What's the point? We sometimes say or hear that democracy is being exported, that is, this or that state, having its own internal foundations, democratic foundations, exports its democracy to other states. What is good, for example, in the West, is absolutely unacceptable, for example, in China, Asia, somewhere in the Middle East. Do you understand? Why? Because democracy is a derivative of our traditions, our values, how people can live well, with what values. This is democracy. That is, it is a way of life, not a method of management. The method of management is already called despotism, imposing one’s model on someone else. Therefore, our values are the true democracy of our Pridnestrovian society. Family values are an important element of our democratic society. This is how deep it all is, how much you can talk about it, think about it, prove it. The principle of building family values depends on each of us, on each family. If someone thinks, “Nothing depends on me” “This is how we are,” and that the decision made does not affect anything, the person is mistaken. Everything comes together: just like a puzzle picture, society and democratic approaches are made up of the behavior of the people inside. We just want to focus on this.
Nikita Kondratov:
The year 2023 is dedicated to agriculture. This is the basis of our economy. You have said more than once that Pridnestrovie should be self-sufficient. This is precisely agriculture – the support and foundation. Vadim Nikolaevich, can we provide ourselves with essential products?
Vadim Krasnoselsky:
If you look at my interviews for 2016–2017, you can hear that I tried to predict the future by and large, saying that times would come when basic food products could not be bought anywhere, even for money. Even the pandemic has already proven this, when the borders were closed, when we were left to our own devices and counted only on our domestic producer, or military operations when logistics was disrupted. We have been working closely on the topic of self-sufficiency, food self-sufficiency since 2017. Not everything can be bought. We buy a lot, we import a lot, but still the basic component must be based on local production, of course. We have good results. For example, let’s take the dairy industry. If we provided about 30% of the market with our milk by 2017, now we provide more than 70% of the market with our milk, our Pridnestrovian milk. We know perfectly well what's inside. If we buy our milk, we even know in which field the cattle grazed, what they fertilize the soil with, and so on. This is, of course, the result. How did we achieve this result? This is a large comprehensive program. This is affordable lending for the expansion of production – a 6% annual loan, and not 25%, as was previously the case. This is a big step forward. This is a loan for the purchase of a dairy herd: the state returns almost half the amount. This is a ruble for every liter of milk donated to processing plants. 44 or 45 farms have registered and receive this ruble per liter of milk delivered. They appeared thanks to these trends. Naturally, this includes irrigation. We have launched a large comprehensive reclamation program. 33 thousand hectares are already under irrigation today. We are reaching the level we planned and so it will be. Our climate requires land reclamation. Any vegetable, fruit and vegetable production is impossible without land reclamation. Approximately 90% of all vegetable products that are on the markets of Pridnestrovie are our products grown on Pridnestrovian soil today.
We still need to work on the meat. Although farmers complained to me that the meat processing plant in Bendery no longer accepts beef, for example, since the refrigerators are already full, that is there is already overproduction. But there is a market you can sell on the market. This is a good factor. Of course, it’s a little difficult for farmers, but nevertheless it’s a good factor. I am glad that the Bendery meat processing plant has built its own pig farm and is developing it. These are again products, environmentally friendly products.
There is a problem with chicken eggs. To be honest, I suggested many people: take up this area, it’s a good topic. It requires investment; it must be private investment, of course. But the entrepreneurs thought it was somehow not very profitable. Maybe because the sales market is small, so there was a danger. But on the other hand, danger is danger, and it may turn out that there will be no eggs at all. Do you understand? We must rely on domestic production. This task faces the Government, the Ministry of Agriculture to develop this topic in terms of investment.
You see, it’s sometimes dry, sometimes rainy, sometimes windy, sometimes one thing or another from year to year. This is our climate, and we must keep this in mind and have a margin of safety.
Lydia Salkutsan:
Vadim Nikolaevich, you hold an online meeting with heads of state administrations and government officials every Monday. Is this a control tool? Or does the President really need to know how many trees were planted in a week, how many paths were made, what is happening on the ground?
Vadim Krasnoselsky:
I do not welcome, let's say, meetings for the sake of meetings. Do you understand? This is the wrong formula to call a meeting to discuss when to hold another meeting. The state is small, and all I need to do is hold a conference call on Monday to understand what the problems are and to suggest something somewhere. Everything serious is resolved over the phone with any head of state administration. I drove somewhere and further discussed the problems that exist if necessary. There are and will be problems, of course. Therefore, you need to keep your finger on the pulse. Based on the same position, I personally review all mail that arrives at my address. This is communication. I see that people care, what they are worried about, what they want, what problems exist, and I keep it under control. I demand from all officials: if a letter has arrived in your name, then you must consider it personally, but not your assistants, advisers. Look at it in person, write it down, and then check the execution. Then there will be a result. It is clear that you cannot always come to help, or rather you can come, but you cannot help. There are objective and subjective circumstances. When a neighbor complains about a neighbor because of the boundary between property, someone will still be dissatisfied. This is a judicial procedure. These are people. This is fine. This has always been, is and will be. The official to whom this or that statement is addressed must necessarily intervene, see this, and make decisions.
Nikita Kondratov:
I suggest we talk about sports, especially since there is something to talk about. The biggest victory this year is the success of our schoolchildren at the International Sports Festival in Moscow in my opinion. There were many teams there, but our children took first overall team place. What is important is that they performed under the Pridnestrovian flag, wearing suits with the “Pridnestrovie” print on fabric. Even the coaches said that it was their first time taking part under the flag, and they had completely different emotions. We know that you followed the guys’ performance. What do you think this success means?
Vadim Krasnoselsky:
We were invited by Irina Rodnina, Olympic figure skating champion and State Duma deputy. She oversees the direction of sports. There was a desire to show our children definitely. I knew that we would achieve results there, and we achieved results. The children did not disappoint.
We have a small state, but if we talk about the successes of sports, I can read out five sheets of names of those guys who became champions. These include martial arts, boxing, kickboxing, other types of martial arts, rowing, volleyball, football, swimming and so on. There were different sports (volleyball, basketball, football, tennis, chess, checkers, badminton), different ages from 11 to 16 years old were represented at these competitions. Our children achieved a high result, of course. They not only took first place as a team, they won more medals than second, third, and fourth combined. Do you understand? This is an indicator. I Personally had no doubt that this would be the case. It was more surprising probably for the Russians, Kazakhs, Abkhazians, and for the participants from Armenia – representatives of the CIS countries. Little Pridnestrovie has arrived – and is ahead of the rest, as they say.
There was concern. Logistics are complicated. The children were traveling by bus. All this is associated with a certain risk, all this is understandable, not to mention the money, but all this is secondary. What did the children show? Not just sports. They showed Pridnestrovie. They talked about the history of Pridnestrovie, they had symbols of Pridnestrovie, they sang our Pridnestrovian anthem, they were proud of Pridnestrovie – this is very important. This is probably the most important element. They could have lost, but they could have shown what Pridnestrovie is, how we live, how we develop, including in sports.
Our sportsmen receive about 80 medals of various denominations at world and European competitions every year. This is a very strong result. Do you understand? I know what I am saying. Everyone is training, everyone is competing. Therefore, we are developing this topic, and we will see even better results in the future. Everything is ahead of us. More than thirty thousand people play sports in Pridnestrovie. For example, if we take a movement like “Leather Ball”: about 230–250 teams participate in three age groups, girls and boys, each school fields teams. This year we have already held the autumn season, next year there will be the final spring season. We will identify champions in all age groups. We started this year such a direction as football in kindergartens, thanks to grants from the President. This is a very good topic. Boys and girls five to six years old, they are shown football skills and they are impressed. This is health. The construction of our stadiums and sports grounds also contributes to development. This is a general development. This is a mass sport. I have always been for mass sports. There will be achievements and champions if there is mass participation. You can always find stars in the masses, who will show good results.
For example, sports dancing, our children are world champions in China. They are so small, but are champions already. This is the life of our Pridnestrovie. You say who are the heroes? All are the heroes who do this.
Nikita Kondratov:
Vadim Nikolaevich, after the success at the festival in Moscow, Rodnina congratulated on this success, maybe there was invitation to the next festival, to other competitions?
Vadim Krasnoselsky:
Certainly. I had a telephone conversation with congratulations on this success. I congratulated them and thanked them for organizing it. Of course, we think about the future. There will be an invitation, we will take part, one hundred percent.
Lydia Salkutsan:
If we talk about sports and youth, many boys and girls, after Sheriff’s victories on the world stage went and signed up for the Football Academy, and are now studying, I’m not afraid of this word. “Sheriff” brought us the European Cup in the fall this year. We know that you also attended the games, watched and cheered. How do you like the season in general?
Vadim Krasnoselsky:
“Sheriff” team started the season well and achieved promotion to the group. This is actually a very serious result. Somehow we have already become accustomed to this. We are used to Real Madrid, or the Italian Roma, or Inter coming here. In fact, “Sheriff” made a sports festival for us. We were unlucky somewhere in the end, somewhere we relaxed, but nevertheless, qualifying for the group is a great result. Even just watching the top clubs play in Tiraspol is worth a lot. This is already a sport of high achievements. “Sheriff” team is great, may God grant them victories next season.
If we talk about mass sports, this is the same “Leather Ball”, the Football Academy. This year we have made a big step forward in the renovation of our city stadium, and next year we will be finishing the central arena. I really want a team “Tiraspol” or “Tiras” to appear in Pridnestrovie, I don’t know, let the sportsmen themselves come up with a name, but so that it bears the name of Tiraspol, our city, and also participates in competitions, especially since there will be a base. There is such a desire. The most important thing is to create the conditions, and then we’ll decide.
Nikita Kondratov:
Vadim Nikolaevich, we have sports for everyone, opportunities for everyone, including people with special needs. Work continued on the development of specialized, including sports, institutions for people with disabilities this year. You have inspections at such establishments. Why so much attention?
Vadim Krasnoselsky:
I am deeply convinced that sports, but not pills, can really improve a person’s health. I'll tell you two stories. I took sports seriously when I was at school. There were examples of strength and will for me – this is Valentin Dikul, who was seriously injured as a result of a circus act, but did not give up and, being paralyzed, did physical exercises, got back on his feet and founded the school of Valentin Dikul, where helped people like him , those who were injured. That is, he proved that thanks to sports you can get back on your feet. This can be said by the fate of Yuri Vlasov, our Olympic champion in weightlifting, who became disabled by the age of 30, and thanks to sport, but sport, he got back on his feet and again showed good results then. I remember in 1987 I watched our television, there were two channels, and they showed one person, I don’t remember his name, he was from somewhere in the south of Russia - Sochi or the Krasnodar region. He was a man in his 50s with an athletic build. His grandchildren tease him when he gives interviews. What's the point? He tells his fate. He was limited in his actions, his legs were paralyzed. He lived somewhere near the seashore and went swimming in the evening. He was ashamed and uncomfortable. He sat in the bushes, waited until everyone left, and then went out to the sea and swam. One day he arrived there, probably in a wheelchair, he didn’t really talk about it, and waited in the bushes until everyone left. He sees one athletic man swimming in the sea. The man became interested when he saw a guy who was paralyzed. He spoke to him. He said: it doesn’t matter, I can help you if you want. There is such a concept – restorative medicine. This term was not common in the Soviet Union. He was just a gymnastics coach and was involved in this area as an elective. He says tell me the address where you live, I will come to you tomorrow and explain to your parents what needs to be done. He didn’t deceive me, he came to his parents and said: listen to me, I’ll give you a set of physical exercises, thanks to which you can put your son on his feet with the help of your weight and basic weights. The main thing is to practice systematically. This kid probably had an unbending will. He started studying. Here’s a picture: an athlete is sitting, his grandchildren are nearby, which means there is a wife and children. That is, sports, physical activity, physical exercise can probably put anyone on their feet. And one more example, this is important for many. I just tell : don’t give up, keep busy. I remember my physical education teacher Marya Lavrentievna in Bendery, in the school No.3. The guys had poor eyesight, and she worked with them, gave them physical activity, told them exercises, how to look, and so on. There was one guy a year older than me, his name was Alexander, he suffered from cerebral palsy, but he studied at school. She suggested a set of exercises, and parents believed her. Let me tell you, he was a very impressive young man by the time he was in 10th grade. Of course, there were elements of cerebral palsy, but he was fine, and he got married and had children. This is how it was in the Soviet Union, when there were few opportunities in terms of special machines for this or that physical activity. I started working with this philosophy; I wanted to create conditions for people to play sports. Such a complex has appeared in Bendery, Rybnitsa, Dubossary, and Tiraspol today. There are three large halls for sports, this is a gym, these are tennis and a hall for team sports, not to mention a library, a steam room and so on, everything that is necessary for the rehabilitation of such people in Tiraspol. I tell everyone: don’t despair, don’t give up, we have done something that can help you. There are three minibuses in the Tiraspol center, there is a special lift for wheelchair users, they go around everyone who wants to exercise - Slobodzeya district, Tiraspol, Bendery – and bring them to sports. The gym is enviable. There is such a gym as in this sports complex not everywhere. I am grateful to the management of this sports complex for people with disabilities, and grateful to everyone who is involved in this. They do a great job, they help people who need it. I say once again that you don’t have to give up, you have to move forward and achieve results. The examples I gave are direct proof of this.
Lydia Salkutsan:
Let's move on to the educational topic. Vadim Nikolaevich, you recently conducted a big history lesson for students, schoolchildren, Suvorov students and others. There were teachers – the history lesson turned out to be unique for them too. We ourselves watched it more than once. How do you feel about being a teacher? Was it difficult? How long did it take you to prepare?
Vadim Krasnoselsky:
I understood that the audience was children, 9th, 10th, 11th grade. If it’s not interesting, I won’t hold the hall. Do you understand? That is, there would be conversations somewhere, there would be no interest. This disorganizes the lecturer, teacher, mentor, let’s say. Therefore, it was necessary to compactly collect the entire volume of historical knowledge about Pridnestrovie and make a lesson out of it for 45-50 minutes, while touching on our thousand-year history of Pridnestrovie and not forgetting about today, about the Pridnestrovian people, about Pridnestrovie, of course. Yes, I was worried. I wrote everything myself and made sketches. Anyone who goes to a lesson with children, under no circumstances use the help of anyone. You must compose this lesson, say it to yourself several times, go out and convey the information.
Why a history lesson? History is our destiny, history is our past, and we need to know it in order to predict the future especially nowadays.
I captured the interest of young people in principle. There was silence in the hall. There were about 800 people, and everyone listened with interest to the history of our Pridnestrovie. I knew that many people would hear about some facts for the first time. We have the richest history of our native land, and we must be proud of this history, through history we must love our land, love Pridnestrovie. That was the message. There will be other topics. I will give another lecture somewhere in April. These will probably already be 10-11 grades and students. The topic will concern the Great Patriotic War, the feat of the Soviet people, specifically the Soviet people in this terrible, great war.
Nikita Kondratov:
History is important, and we have a place to teach it, not just in classrooms. There is the Bendery Fortress, there is the Catherine Park, and the memorial complex in Kitskany. The Museum Quarter is now being built before our eyes. Renovation of Wittgenstein Park and the park in Chobruchi is underway. Large-scale, historical projects are your initiative. Aren't you afraid of such large-scale projects that people will not accept them well?
Vadim Krasnoselsky:
Some ideas are my, some are complex, some ideas are born in discussions. There is no need to single out anyone here, the main thing is the result. As for “like it or not,” I always think about the end result. If it is beautiful, accessible, convenient, then in the end everyone will like it. There may be criticism at the initial stage, of course. People don't understand the end result, but I see it. I'm afraid or I'm not afraid? I'm not afraid. I have a lot of ideas. The budget is probably not enough for my ideas, you know. I am reasonable person, and I proceed from our capabilities, both physical and financial. Therefore, those ideas that are being implemented are, naturally, with an eye on our physical and financial readiness to implement this object.
A very good project is a museum quarter, where the history of our Pridnestrovie will be presented from antiquity, from the Scythians and even more ancient civilizations that lived here, on the territory of Pridnestrovie, to the modern state – Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic. The very first exhibition will be dedicated to the Great Patriotic War, the Iasi-Chisinau operation, and the feat of the Soviet people on Pridnestrovian soil. The Museum Quarter will absorb the entire history of our region, the entire history of Pridnestrovie, the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, and the city of Tiraspol. May God give the strength to finish. We will definitely implement this project. Our museum of archeology will remain in the same place in Catherine Park, where it is, and there will be a continuation here. This will truly be a museum quarter, which will be located not only where renovations are currently underway. The beginning will be in Catherine Park, then it will be miles of time, this is also our history, an open-air museum, the museum quarter, and the bastion of St. Vladimir. This is our history, the tragic history of our city, our region, but this is also our history. Whatever, this is our history. We need to show it and know what happened on our land.
Lydia Salkutsan:
Vadim Nikolaevich, a question related to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but not related to law enforcement activities. The second full-length feature film “Prishchep Prishchepych, or the path of Ganesha” was shot in Pridnestrovie this year. There was active participation of Pridnestrovian militia. You were at the premiere at the cinema. What can you say about the film, and about such off-duty work of our militia, let’s say?
Vadim Krasnoselsky:
You know, you have to work in the militia to understand what it’s like inside. This is a special atmosphere, let’s say, this is a special relationship, this is not the army, and not civil servants. This is something different. This is daily work, the daily work of militia officers – a district militia officer, a detective, a patrol service, a traffic militia service, traffic militia, investigators and other administrative services. This is a living mechanism, it is constantly at work. There is no time to rest there. This idea is an attempt to imagine the internal feeling of the militia, how everything really happens there, what they call each other there, how relationships develop in the team. There is truth in many ways, there is fiction, of course. The picture is normally clear by and large.
I am glad that the Ministry of Internal Affairs was involved in artistic activity in addition to its professional activities. You know, this helps you get away from professional deformation, helps you improve your cultural level, which has a positive effect on your service in the end. I remember that when I was still the Minister of Internal Affairs in 2011, we also did a theatrical historical production. It was quite interesting. The Ministry of Internal Affairs is a dynamic structure, and if they have chosen the path in terms of their cultural development, I can only congratulate them. Well done.
Lydia Salkutsan:
Well, there is popularization of the profession on the other hand.
Vadim Krasnoselsky:
Of course, this is all in a complex.
Nikita Kondratov:
We discussed cinema, now I propose to talk about theatre. Actors from our theater took part in this film. They don't stand still either. There was recently a premiere of the “Mozart and Salieri” rock musical. This is unusual for our scene. What do you think about it? Do you prefer classical theater or is there still room for experimentation? Continuing the topic you often meet with the theater intelligentsia, with the theater director, with the main director, with artists from other spheres of culture. What for? Maybe you offer them something, advise them?
Vadim Krasnoselsky:
I can’t give advice here of course. I can only advise expanding the audience in terms of visiting cities and regions, which is what they are doing in principle. Well done. I accept the repertoire as they give it. The classics... You know, the classics were also something new before and were not considered classics, but then they became classics. Why won't today's experiments be tomorrow's classics? Who's to say? The guys are experimenting. I am glad that there are a lot of young people in the theater. One performance can involve 50, 60, 70, 80 people, and the vast majority are young people who themselves come to the theater and serve there not even for money, but for spiritual interest, not material, but spiritual. This is how they see their development. This makes me very happy. This didn't happen before. The management of the theater also told me: it was necessary to somehow agitate earlier, invite people, explain, but now not, now the theater has penetrated so deeply into our Pridnestrovian youth society that people go themselves and serve there. They play very well. Of course, it’s always nice to meet such people, talk, and listen to them. They are educated people with a high level of cultural code. It’s good to hear something new from them and to take something into service. This is what these meetings are for.
Lydia Salkutsan:
Vadim Nikolaevich, new awards appeared this year: the Order of Catherine, Potemkin-Tavrichesky, for contribution to the development of sports. Why and what is their fundamental difference from existing ones?
Vadim Krasnoselsky:
The Order of Catherine the Great and the Order of Potemkin-Tavrichesky are the orders of those great people who left a bright mark here on the territory of our native Pridnestrovie. Many films have been made about Catherine, musicals have been staged, various stories have been written, books have been written, but there were no official Orders. The first order of Catherine the Great appeared in Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic. This order is awarded to those who left their mark in the development of the culture of Pridnestrovie, history, pedagogy and so on, that is in the humanitarian direction. Number 1 was awarded to the city of Tiraspol on City Day absolutely deserved. Order of Potemkin- Tavrichesky. Potemkin warrior, Potemkin leader, Potemkin defender. You know the tales about Potemkin villages. No, Potemkin truly was a great man of his time. The whole of Europe, the whole world by and large, took him into account, and everyone was waiting for what Potemkin would say. Potemkin remained to live in Bendery, and from Bendery he ruled all of New Russia after the capture of the fortress by siege in 1789. Do you understand what the global region is? He ruled the Moldavian-Wallachian principality, including Bessarabia in 1790-1791. This is the size of the man who was here. Of course, he was the deepest patriot of Russia, a man devoted to Russia. The Order of Potemkin – its statute is that this order is awarded to those who have left a mark in law enforcement activities, in the defense of our state. This is the order of protectors. This order number 1 was received by the city of Bendery. It’s also absolutely deserved, it’s clear why. Of course, the order is for merit in the development of sports. How much have we talked about sports now? There was no targeted reward, there was no professional reward. There are common ones – for labor valor, for labor glory, the Order of Honor. We wanted to highlight the areas, and we did: this is sports, this is defense and law and order, this is culture.
The medal “For saving lives” appeared earlier, you remember. We approved it before the pandemic. Then the pandemic came, and we rewarded those health workers who saved lives. Feel the name “For saving a life”, that is, the owner of this medal saved a human life. It costs a lot.
Nikita Kondratov:
Vadim Nikolaevich, there are more and more churches in Pridnestrovie. This year the Old Believers received another grant from the President to restore their icons. Pridnestrovie is a secular state, there is no dominant religion. We are all equal. You meet representatives of all faiths. Why is it important? How important is it to maintain balance in such a delicate matter?
Vadim Krasnoselsky:
There is the concept of a secular state, but nevertheless, it is categorically impossible and wrong to separate the state from religion, from faith. At the initial period of the emergence of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, there were four Orthodox parishes in Pridnestrovie. There are about 140 now. We have practically restored all the temples that were destroyed during the atheistic times and built new temples. We don't build just for building, because we want it. No. People want. I will give an example of the Church of the Archangel Michael in Pervomaisk. No matter how many times I came to Pervomaisk on one issue or another, people always said: we need a church. People believed that they would have the temple. By faith it will be given - there is such a good theory. People believed, people wanted. If people didn’t want it, no one would have built a temple there, I assure you. Most of us have Orthodox churches, but there are others - Catholic, Baptist, Adventist, Old Believers, and there is also a synagogue in Bendery. These are our traditional confessions. I’ll explain why this is so. Let’s return to Catherine the Great. The border was marked along the Dniester after the signing of the Peace of Iasi in 1791. Then Bessarabia became part of the Russian Empire, and Catherine the Great invited people of different faiths and different nationalities here. Here was no serfdom. People were free here, received an allotment of land and were given the opportunity to believe. Everyone deserves their place here, a place on Pridnestrovian soil. I am glad that Vladyka Sawa and I (he is a very wise and deep man) invite everyone to meetings, together we discuss issues of faith and religion on the territory of Pridnestrovie. I want to hear them, they are all very wise people, and they generate positivity and peace. Nobody calls for war, and everyone talks about peace, stability and prays for Pridnestrovie. The more they pray the better. It will be given by faith. Everything is correct.
Lydia Salkutsan:
Vadim Nikolaevich, final question. What do you wish to the residents of Pridnestrovie on the eve of the New Year?
Vadim Krasnoselsky:
Our meetings always end with wishes. I wished for everything that I said: development, positivity, good mood, health, peace. Please, study Pridnestrovie, love Pridnestrovie. Pridnestrovie deserves a good life. The people of Pridnestrovie deserve better, I am convinced of this, and it will be so.
Happy holiday, Happy New Year!
Lydia Salkutsan:
Thank you.
Nikita Kondratov:
We hope that next year will be a little easier, so that we can start broadcasting with the President in a new way.
Vadim Krasnoselsky:
God willing.
Nikita Kondratov:
It was a broadcast with the President. Lydia Salkutsan and Nikita Kondratov worked in the studio for you.