The PMR President Vadim Krasnoselsky on the agenda:
The entire agenda can be divided into two broad sections: political issues and all other issues. There are difficulties everywhere. This is a matter for further negotiations regarding political issues or a full settlement, of course. We touched on these issues only briefly and exchanged opinions. We focused on the problems that hinder the lives of people in both Pridnestrovie and Moldova nevertheless. This is an agenda that can be implemented quickly, if the parties so desire. We have the desire to do it. We submitted our agenda to the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, prepared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and it is clearly spelled out, starting with the simple issues.
It would seem that the bridge across the Dniester River near the village of Bychok. Let me remind you that this bridge was opened at the initiative of the Pridnestrovian side with the participation and mediation of the OSCE mission. This was done almost 10 years ago. What's the problem? They opened it with a tonnage limit of 10 tons, and they agreed that the bridge would be repaired later, at least a technical inspection would be conducted, and it would be opened to larger tonnages. Ten years have passed. We're approaching the Moldovan side and saying, gentlemen, let's conduct an inspection, let's create a commission, let's allocate funds for the procedures. Our goal and desire is to open this bridge, but there's no answer. Who suffers from this? Logistics suffers. Entrepreneurs suffer because they can't travel directly, essentially, to conduct their business normally, but instead travel through other checkpoints, increasing the workload and financial costs. Whether it would seem a difficult question? No.
The next issue is cooperation in law enforcement. The refusal, the political refusal of the Moldovan side to cooperate in this area is already leading to negative consequences. We are ready to work together to combat drug trafficking, fraud, and other criminals. Criminals have no nationality or borders. This is perfectly clear. We are ready to cooperate. This is completely acceptable in my opinion. Moreover, I don’t hide the fact (I am, after all, a former Minister of Internal Affairs) that people from below are ready to do this. The police in particular are ready. But politicians are getting in the way. This is wrong. Ultimately, people suffer.
The next issue is environmental cooperation. We all know firsthand, as has been reported in the media more than once, that the Dniester River's water is being polluted from Moldova by polluting the smaller rivers that flow into it. What are we proposing? To create a joint commission to survey the Dniester River to understand that this is happening. Based on this research, develop an action plan to prevent harmful emissions into our river, which is the source of water for the people of Pridnestrovie, Moldova, and Ukraine. This is our common problem. There will be no results without forward movement. What do we see? There is again politicization and a reluctance to resolve this issue. This is true, by and large, for everything. We urge action. Although I have repeatedly heard from the Moldovan side that small steps are ineffective. There is no effect without action. Small steps are the solution to accumulated problems. They build trust between the parties.
The PMR President Vadim Krasnoselsky on economic pressure from Moldova:
I want to emphasize that Moldova bears no social burden on the residents of Pridnestrovie, the Pridnestrovian people. We and our Pridnestrovian budget resolve all problems. Double taxation is a gross violation of both moral norms and the economic foundations of the European Union, including non-compliance with the terms of the DCFTA, the Free Trade Area. Of course, we discussed these issues and declared them illegal.
The PMR President Vadim Krasnoselsky on the results:
There's a stance: draw up a plan in order to draw up another plan then, of course, a plan for a plan. But no. I still hope that the OSCE Chairmanship-in-Office will have a significant influence on our settlement. Switzerland is a confederation. It has many official languages. They actually have similar problems between their territories, just as we have between Pridnestrovie and Moldova. Regarding Pridnestrovie, we are a multinational Pridnestrovian nation. We have three official languages, we are multilingual, multicultural. We support the history of every people living here. We have never had an ethnic conflict. We show by our example how to live in this turbulent world, maintaining interethnic harmony and religious tolerance. Of course, we discussed this. We discussed the history of our complex relations. We discussed textbooks called "History of the Romanians or General History". Why are they published for Pridnestrovie in Russian? It's strange, for schools with Romanian as the language of instruction. Why? Because it's propaganda, propaganda from Antonescu and his henchmen Nazi criminals. We discussed this. In fact, we touched on a broad range of issues.
Deputy Chairman of the Government of the PMR Vitaly Neagu on the need for cooperation in law enforcement:
The issue of cooperation in law enforcement was raised in the course of this meeting, indeed. As a reminder, law enforcement agencies in Pridnestrovie and the Republic of Moldova previously had agreements on cooperation in combating crime. However, the Moldovan side unilaterally withdrew from this agreement for unknown reasons. We are discussing today the urgent need to resume such cooperation, as this is a public demand not only from Pridnestrovie but also from Moldova. We see how drug trafficking has increased. Law enforcement indicators in Pridnestrovie bear this out. 10 people were arrested for smuggling in just the first four months of this year. This indicates that this threat is growing and must be addressed. Furthermore, telephone fraud is well-known. This requires a certain level of cooperation.
This is one example that was mentioned by the President at this meeting today. A robbery was committed in the city of Rybnitsa, during which a pensioner was subjected to violence, including multiple stab wounds. The pensioner lost consciousness as a result of these attacks. The attackers believed her dead. Fortunately, she regained consciousness and reported the incident to law enforcement. One of the attackers was quickly apprehended. However, the woman involved in and orchestrating the crime, a citizen of Pridnestrovie and Moldova, Shchelkunova, fled to the Republic of Moldova. This incident was reported to law enforcement agencies in the Republic of Moldova. Furthermore, the pensioner from Rybnitsa (the victim) traveled to the city of Rezina, where she reported the crime. No measures were taken to isolate Shchelkunova from society for about a year while she was in the Republic of Moldova.
We discussed the potential for disaster. Of course, we warned of this through various informal contacts. This woman along with another citizen as a result of blatant inaction committed a similar crime in the Republic of Moldova in April, this time resulting in the murder of a pensioner. This fact demonstrates that it is impossible to move forward with resolving people's problems without proper cooperation. People want their lives and health to be safe.
