The PMR President Vadim Krasnoselsky talked with the journalist of the TASS news agency Valery Demidetsky.
- Vadim Nikolaevich, what are your plans for the second term?
- The voting results on the 12th of December are confirmation for me that we are doing everything right. Let me emphasize: not only me, but we are doing. The strong team including effective managers and hundreds of thousands of Pridnestrovians has been working for five years. “We did it together” is not just a pre-election slogan, not a bright phrase for a catchphrase, it's true. Everything that we have achieved, and this is a lot, is the result of our joint efforts, our common work. There is still much to be done. The adopted Strategy for the Development of Pridnestrovie is being systematically implemented. The efficiency of the work is undeniable. The goals are clear. Let’s go ahead.
- How does Pridnestrovie live today?
- The main thing is that Pridnestrovie lives on. It does not survive, does not exist, but it lives, and not only today. Despite the most difficult circumstances - the pandemic and the associated restrictions and expenses, the international non-recognition of the republic, the unwillingness of Moldova to negotiate and the refusal to fulfill the agreements reached earlier, the introduction of various kinds of restrictions unilaterally, which, like putting a spoke in somebody’s wheel, impede the movement forward, and many other negative factors - Pridnestrovie is developing. There is no critical decline in economic performance. There are positive dynamics in many areas. We fully fulfill our social obligations. Please note that state guarantees, benefits, support measures are broader in Pridnestrovie than those of many of our neighbors. Our citizens are provided with electricity, gas and heat. There is no shortage of products.
- You mentioned external restrictions. How do they affect the economy of Pridnestrovie, people's lives?
- The influence of external factors affects. Nevertheless, the republic maintains foreign trade relations with dozens of countries around the world. We struggle, we look for solutions and we find it. Striving for self-sufficiency is one of the priorities. We support business as much as possible, especially the agro-industrial sector, in order to have our own airbag, without relying on outside help. The reclamation complex is example. It is impossible to insure against the climatic swing. Pridnestrovie is located in the zone of risky agriculture. Drought is a real threat. What do you need? Provide uninterrupted watering. Nothing has been invested in the irrigation system for decades. It fell into disrepair. Approximately 8 thousand hectares were under irrigation a few years ago. Now the area of irrigated land has more than tripled. There is a reserve for further expansion of the reclamation complex. The state, agrarians and industrialists got down to business together and it got off the ground.
There are many such examples. It is the principle of equal partnership and mutually beneficial cooperation that makes it possible to solve even the most difficult problems. We launched the state capital investment program in the most difficult conditions. About a billion rubles have been invested in the construction, repair and equipping of socially significant facilities during four years. A colossal volume of investments for such a short period has been made in putting in order of engineering networks. Everything that the state earns is directed to the needs of the people. Citizens are feeling these changes. We do not waste resources on internal discord. Pridnestrovie is consolidated and therefore successful. Pridnestrovie a few years ago and today is one and the same state, but it looks completely different. Come and see for yourself.
- Do external restrictions interfere with the fight against the pandemic?
- If we talk about such a global test as the coronavirus, then Pridnestrovie is coping no worse, but even more successfully, than many other states. In a matter of days, we set up the production of protective equipment, formed an extensive hospital network of infectious diseases hospitals, where treatment is carried out at public expense. Medicines, oxygen, tests, vaccines - everything is available and accessible to citizens. Here I will once again focus on public-private partnership. Business did not stand aside, investing forces and funds in the fight against the pandemic in difficult for the republic moment.
- The Moldovan authorities called on the world community to ignore the elections in Pridnestrovie. Did this affect the voting?
- There have been attempts to influence the expression of the will of the Pridnestrovian people. The whole world saw it. First - the statements, then - the non-admission of Russian observers to Pridnestrovie and the obstruction of the voting of our citizens living in the village of Dorotskoye. The outcome is important. What have they achieved with such actions contrary to the principles and foundations of democracy? Absolutely nothing. The effect was reversed. They obviously did not add any advantages to themselves, but they showed their true colors to the whole world. They could not stop the Pridnestrovians. It could not be otherwise.
- Can the tensions in relations with Moldova during the elections affect the negotiation process?
- Pridnestrovie has been an independent state for more than three decades. Should we have asked them for permission to hold the elections? They asked us when they tried to take away our native language, our culture and traditions, when they came with arms to peaceful Pridnestrovian cities, when they chose their pro-European vector? No, they did not ask. And we shouldn't. We have our own vector, our own road, our own state. Our paths diverged long ago, and, I think that all attempts to link the unconnected are in vain.
- How are the negotiations on the Pridnestrovian settlement developing? Recently, the mediators in the "5+2" negotiation format have more than once sent signals to both Chisinau and Tiraspol about the need to resume the dialogue.
- It is no secret that the negotiation process is not going well. Process is movement. And we have stagnation, stupor.
How can you talk about progress, about development, about some kind of impulses, if one of the parties persistently ignores not only the current dialogue, but also previous achievements?
What is the point of looking for new agreements if the old ones are dead weight? Besides, we simply have no one to talk to. Moldova did not even consider it necessary to appoint a negotiator from its side.
- Recently, the President of Moldova, Maia Sandu, announced that she did not intend to meet with the leadership of Pridnestrovie. How do you assess this statement?
- We are not abandoning our attempts to return the Moldovan side to the negotiating table, we are not interrupting contacts. We are open to dialogue and insist on its resumption. This is necessary for people who due to the fact that many moments in our relations are not settled, face a variety of difficulties every day.
- Relations with Russia: what are the further prospects for interaction?
- Russia was, is and, I am sure, will remain a friend, partner, guarantor of peace and security for us. Pridnestrovie did not separate itself from the Russian world, and remains an integral part of it. We are grateful to Russia for any kind of support and assistance, we often seek assistance from our Russian colleagues, and we have never been deaf to our appeals. Not all issues can be resolved overnight. We understand that there are international norms, that Russia has many internal issues, many areas in which help is expected from the Russian Federation in various parts of the world. We are grateful for direct contacts, for the support of compatriots living in Pridnestrovie, most importantly, for ensuring peace on the Pridnestrovian land, which has been reliably guarded by Russian peacekeepers for 30 years. It should be noted that by creating comfortable living conditions in Pridnestrovie, we are doing this, among other things, for hundreds of thousands of Russian citizens. This is also important to understand.