The PMR President spoke with representatives of the OSCE today. The discussion was organized via videoconference. The interlocutors of Vadim Krasnoselsky were Vice-President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Kyriakos Hadjiyianni, Head of the OSCE Mission to the Republic of Moldova Kelly Keiderling and others. The PMR Foreign Minister Vitaly Ignatiev took part in the conversation from the Pridnestrovian side. The conversation was long and substantive. The participants noted the value of any kind of dialogue, emphasizing that personal communication is the most effective. Vadim Krasnoselsky emphasized that Pridnestrovie is open to visits, and he personally is ready for dialogue.
The interlocutors discussed in detail the state of the negotiation process. The PMR President cited facts proving that it was Moldova that blocked the negotiations in the international "5+2" format. The format has been idle for six years now after the Moldovan side failed to sign the final protocol of the Bratislava Round in October 2019. Moldovan representatives refuse to negotiate at the highest level. It is difficult without an open direct dialogue to expect positive processes in the settlement, Vadim Krasnoselsky emphasized.
The Vice-Chairman of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly was interested in how the organization can help intensify the negotiation process. Vadim Krasnoselsky considers that the OSCE has sufficient functionality to initiate the resumption of the work of the "5+2" format, with the revival of which it will be possible to move on to solving pressing problems.
The interlocutors paid special attention to the Moldovan so-called law on separatism, noting that there are no examples of criminalization of such a concept in world practice. The discriminatory norms adopted by Moldova, which have a vague and broad interpretation, were criticized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, as well as the European Commission. Kyriakos Hadjiyianni noted that he and his colleagues called on the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova to provide a legal interpretation of the relevant norms.
Another topic of conversation was the content of the Bucharest resolution of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, adopted in the summer of 2024. Vadim Krasnoselsky highlighted a number of resonant aspects. One of them is the demand to "immediately" and "unconditionally" release from places of detention all persons allegedly unlawfully detained by Pridnestrovian law enforcement officers. The President noted that this includes hundreds of murderers, rapists, drug dealers. No one authorized the OSCE PA to act as a "judge", there is no reason to draw conclusions about the "unlawfulness" of detention. These are persons dangerous to society. The signatories of the resolution should not politicize the issues of combating crime, Vadim Krasnoselsky considers.
The PMR President drew attention to concerns about the allegedly "large number of people deprived of their liberty in Pridnestrovie". The President noted in this regard that the number of people serving sentences in the institutions of the State Penitentiary Service of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic has decreased from 3600 at the beginning of 2017 to 1300 today. This figure will be further reduced in the near future, as there will be an amnesty dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory and the 35th anniversary of the formation of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic. The President emphasized the fact that OSCE representatives regularly visit penitentiary institutions in Pridnestrovie and have the opportunity to see for themselves that the conditions of detention of prisoners are much better than in neighboring Moldova.
The conceptual reality is that Moldova has not provided or guaranteed legal protection for citizens of Pridnestrovie for more than three decades. This most important task from the point of view of human rights is fully implemented by the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic. It was noted that Moldovan law enforcement officers often not only fail to assist, but clearly hinder the investigations of their Pridnestrovian colleagues. Vadim Krasnoselsky cited specific examples, including the recent incident with the detention of three Pridnestrovian militia officers. The President of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic emphasized that the parties previously interacted on issues of combating crime based on the agreements of 1999 and 2001, from which Moldova subsequently unilaterally withdrew, choosing the tactics of politicizing law enforcement activities.
Vadim Krasnoselsky called on the OSCE PA to carefully study all aspects, personally visit Pridnestrovie, immersing itself in the surrounding reality, and abandon the practice of adopting biased resolutions containing unreliable information.
