On March 31 and April 1, 2011, international conference “Participation and Intercultural Aspects of the Management on the Local Level on Balkans – Challenges and European Perspectives” took place in Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina). On invitation of the Council of Europe, Pridnestrovien delegation which consisted of representatives of executive authorities and NGOs participated in the conference. PMR's Ministry of Foreign Affairs was represented by Deputy Minister Sergey Simonenko.
The conference resumed the two-year program of the Council of Europe, directed at consolidation of partner relations between civil organizations and local authorities in the regions. The questions which concerned confidence-building measures between ethnic groups, living in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosnian, Croat, Serbian, Hungarian, Czech, Gipsy, Jew and others), were discussed in details. The subject area of the causes of the Moldo-Pridnestrovien conflict, particularly, the role of ethnic component, was touched upon during the conference.
Sergey Simonenko pointed that the historic-ethnical contradictions, together with the problem of human rights provision, constitute one of the paramount causes of the origins of the conflict. He reported that the processes of Romanization that cropped up in social and political life in 1988-1989, caused the civil conflict in Moldavia. Sergey Simonenko noticed that those years were characterized by sharp confrontation between supporters of annexation with Romania and that part of society which sought to preserve equitable relations between all the nations and stood for preservation of the Soviet Union. The question of the Russian language status in Moldavia caused the final split. The Russian language happened outside the law – the fact that sharply restricted a considerable part of the population of the republic in its rights. The population of Pridnestrovie which was mainly Russian-speaking advocated its rights. But Chisinau ignored the demands of the Pridnestrovien people, and the political course carried out by Moldavian authorities and aimed at joining with Romania, forced them to create their own statehood.
Sergey Simonenko also drew attention to the position of the Moldavian people. Only insignificant part of Moldavian supported the position of Romanism, which denies the very existence of the Moldavian nation. Therefore, Moldavians of Pridnestrovie, who feared Romanization, supported the idea of creation of the Pridnestrovien statehood.
Deputy Chief of State Administration of Tiraspol Tatiana Loginova emphasized the fact that in Pridnestrovie Moldavian, Russian and Ukrainian languages have equal official status. She also pointed that all the residents of the republic have the right to be educated in their native language. Besides, students of all Russian, Moldavian and Ukrainian schools have the right to choose the second language to be learned.
Pridnestrovien representatives gave a notice that ethnical component of the Moldo-Pridnestrovien conflict is closely interwoven with political, historical and cultural factors.
