A difficult election campaign has ended in Moldova and Maia Sandu has won the elections. Are you ready to hold a meeting with her and will Tiraspol make any relevant initiatives?
There have been similar initiatives from our side before, as you know. I have repeatedly sent official letters to the President of Moldova with a proposal to meet and discuss at the highest political level our countries relations. My position has not changed after the elections in the neighboring state, I am open to dialogue and contacts with the leadership of the Republic of Moldova.
A referendum was held in Moldova, where the majority of citizens officially voted for the country's accession to the EU. The irreversibility of European integration was written into the Moldovan constitution. How will Tiraspol take these realities into account?
One of the obvious results of the referendum is the almost equal number of people who supported the issues put to it and those who voted "against", in our opinion. That is, we can talk about the division of Moldovan society, and I think the main task for local politicians should be to overcome this division.
The second important aspect is that the majority of Pridnestrovians did not take part in the referendum. Let me remind you, although we publicly addressed the Moldovan side with a corresponding proposal and were ready to cooperate on this issue so that the entire population of Pridnestrovie could express its opinion. But, the Moldovan authorities were not interested in it, as we saw. This is a fundamentally important point, since the state position of Pridnestrovie is formed exclusively by the will of our people.
Experts are saying in Kishinev that Moldova has achieved a certain "geopolitical balance" and any negotiations with Pridnestrovie could upset it in favor of Russia. What do you think of this opinion and what is currently preventing the resumption of the negotiation process in your opinion?
Such talk is speculative. There is no value in it, only a disguised desire to do nothing. I will tell you that, when communicating with international representatives, I see in literally everyone the mood and focus specifically on peaceful negotiations with Pridnestrovie. We all understand perfectly well that there is no viable alternative to this path. We can reach compromise solutions only through open, direct, productive dialogue. The interests of the people should be at the heart of such a dialogue. Not the mythical "geopolitical balance" or any vectors, but the interests of the people. They are absolutely clear: peace, security, normal conditions for life and development. Pridnestrovie has always entered into negotiations precisely with this goal. I am confident that Kishinev is up to the task of conducting a dialogue, focusing on the people as the main priority.
There were cases when the Moldovan police literally detained and did not allow citizens of Pridnestrovie to polling stations during the second round of the Moldovan presidential elections on November 3. The same situation was observed in the fall of 2020. Can we conclude from this that Kishinev fears the opinion of its own citizens who live in Pridnestrovie?
Of course, we paid attention to the obstruction of our residents' voting. Many have dual citizenship in Pridnestrovie, including Moldavian. Pridnestrovians are generally active and responsible in terms of elections. There were naturally those who wanted to vote, to express their opinion in the elections held in Moldova. We only welcome such aspirations. Such incidents as the closure of bridges on the Moldovan-Pridnestrovie border on election day, the "mining" of a building in the village of Varnita, where several polling stations were located, etc., are puzzling. There is an objective impression that someone in Moldova is indeed afraid of the opinion of citizens living in Pridnestrovie.
Moldova continues the process of militarization today. There were recently reports that Vilnius will send Kishinev 4 million euros and provide weapons, including drones, anti-drone systems, thermal imagers and anti-tank grenade launchers. Experts are again talking about Pridnestrovie as a potential new hot spot against this background. How do you assess the risks and threats in the field of security today?
Our fundamental position is to maintain peace. We closely monitor, of course, all the processes taking place around our state, including in Moldova. Including international military cooperation of this country. We call for all contentious issues to be resolved exclusively peacefully at the negotiating table.
You visited the Moldovan Metallurgical Plant recently. There are concerns in Tiraspol that a monopoly on the scrap metal market may appear in Moldova and this will affect the work of the enterprise. What is the current situation with the industry of Pridnestrovie? Is it possible to somehow minimize the consequences of the pressure from Kishinev?
The industrial potential of Pridnestrovie has suffered significantly due to the restrictive measures of Moldova. The impossibility of exporting products abroad has already led to the closure of three large enterprises. The unfair regime of double customs duties and unjustified charges, as well as the banking blockade, remains. All these actions cannot be justified by any political goals and slogans, since they grossly violate the rights and interests of thousands of people left without work, run counter to the agreements of the negotiation process, as well as Moldova's obligations to the European Union, including our agreement with the EU on free trade. These are artificially created problems that hinder the development of Pridnestrovie and negatively affect not only the Pridnestrovie, but also the Moldovan economy.
Russia is a guarantor country in the Moldovan-Pridnestrovian settlement process and continues to implement a peacekeeping operation on the banks of the Dniester as is known. What areas or issues would you highlight for interaction between Tiraspol and Moscow to continue to ensure stability and security in this region of Europe?
We are grateful to the Russian side for effective peacekeeping efforts and support the current mission. As for other areas of bilateral cooperation, dozens of agreements have been signed between Pridnestrovie and Russia in various fields. We have enormous potential for cooperation in the socio-economic, cultural, humanitarian, educational and other areas. These opportunities can be and should be actively implemented.