Moscow accuses the West of „instructing” Chisinau to break off dialogue with Tiraspol

Mikhail Galuzin, deputy to the Russian foreign minister, said in an interview with TASS that the West had instructed the government in Chisinau to stop any dialogue with the Transnistrian authorities.

„The situation in the Transnistrian settlement worsened significantly in 2022. The current Moldovan authorities, at the dictation of the West, are moving towards rejecting previously concluded agreements and limiting all forms of interaction with Transnistria. This has led to an unprecedented cooling of the dialogue between Chisinau and Tiraspol,” said Mihail Galuzin in an interview with TASS, quoted by News.ro.

He says the breakdown in dialogue between Chisinau and Tiraspol is not only due to the war in Ukraine, but dates back to 2019 – that is, since the pro-European party of current President Maia Sandu came to power.

„The work of the 5+2 negotiating format is currently frozen, and this is not only due to events in Ukraine. The pause in its work has lasted since October 2019. The reason is the diametrically opposed positions of Chisinau and Tiraspol on practically all key aspects of the settlement,” Galuzin said.

„At present, both sides of the Dniester are facing difficult energy, transport and logistics, social and other problems. It would seem that this should spur Chisinau and Tiraspol to find common ground in the interest of their citizens. However, the Moldovan side is not ready for a constructive dialogue with Transnistria,” the Russian official charges. „The Moldovan authorities have left unanswered repeated calls by Tiraspol to come to the negotiating table,” he added.

Moscow disturbed by Chisinau’s „anti-separatist law”

Sergei Lavrov’s deputy also raised the issue of a law recently adopted by Chisinau, the so-called „anti-separatism law”, which, the diplomat accused, „in fact outlaws all the inhabitants of Transnistria”.

The anti-separatist law passed in the Chisinau parliament has worried the authorities in Tiraspol, writes Europa Libera. There are increasing reports that the leader of the self-proclaimed Transnistrian Moldovan Republic, Vadim Krasnoselski, risks falling under the new provisions or that its chief negotiator, Vitali Ignatiev, „could be arrested when he comes to Chisinau”.

According to the new provisions of the criminal code, „separatist actions committed with the aim of separating part of the territory of the Republic of Moldova” will be punishable by imprisonment from two to five years. The provisions also define separatism as „the production and/or dissemination, in any form and by any means, of material and information inciting such actions”.

On the other hand, Lavrov’s deputy says that Ukraine, which together with Russia is the mediator and guarantor of the Transnistrian settlement in the 5+2 negotiating formula, closed the Transnistrian segment of the Ukrainian-Moldovan border after Russia launched the „special military operation”. This measure, the Russian official accuses, is being used by Chisinau to apply „elements of an economic and transport blockade” to Transnistria.

„In short, the situation in the Transnistrian settlement is now complicated,” concludes Mihail Galuzin.

„Russia, as a guarantor and mediator, is making political and diplomatic efforts to keep the ‘5+2’ format as a negotiating mechanism with no alternative. The main thing now is to prevent further deterioration of the dialogue between Chisinau and Tiraspol,” the diplomat adds.

In this context, the Russian Ministry of Defence issued a statement on Thursday morning announcing that it has information that the Ukrainians are preparing a provocation in the Transnistrian region and are planning a false-flag operation in which they would invade Transnistria wearing Russian army uniforms. In response, the authorities in Chisinau said they did not confirm this information and called for calm.

The Republic of Moldova, close to withdrawal from CIS?

Mikhail Galuzin is Sergei Lavrov’s deputy overseeing relations with the Commonwealth of Independent States, the organization that brings together most of the former Soviet republics, including Moldova.

On Tuesday, Vladimir Putin rescinded a presidential decree dating back to 2012 that set out the guiding principles of Russian foreign policy, saying it no longer corresponded to reality and that a new concept for Moscow’s foreign policy would soon be announced. In the chapter on relations with the CIS, the canceled document stated that „ways must be found to resolve the Transnistrian problem on the basis of respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and neutrality status of the Republic of Moldova”.

„We will carefully consider the content of the new concept once it is made public. As for our country’s approach to the Transnistrian settlement – we remain firmly committed to a process of peaceful settlement of the conflict,” reacted Filip Cojocaru, spokesman of the Foreign Ministry in Chisinau.

Moscow pledged at the 1999 OSCE summit in Istanbul that it would withdraw its troops and weapons from Transnistria, but this international pledge has never been put into practice.

On the other hand, in an interview with local Jurnal TV on Wednesday evening, Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu announced that the Republic of Moldova will this week start the process of denouncing dozens of agreements signed within the Commonwealth of Independent States, because many of them are no longer relevant, are unworkable or are against the Republic of Moldova.

„Foreign policy objectives are aligned with the European integration process and as a matter of priority, agreements incompatible with foreign policy priorities will be denounced”, Nicu Popescu said.

Last summer, the minister said that the idea of the country leaving the CIS was being considered, but President Maia Sandu said that for the time being the country would not leave the CIS.