Today, Head of the Foreign Ministry of the republic Nina Shtanski made a speech on the topic “20 years of the negotiation process between the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic and the Republic of Moldova” to the participants of the International meeting of alumni of A.M. Gorchakov Foundation programmes.
In her speech the Minister expanded on a range of topical issues of greatest scientific interest to the expert community. These, particularly, include definition of the type of the conflict between the parties, inter alia terminological aspects; definition of reasons why the conflict has not yet been resolved despite a large number of international mediators engaged in the negotiations; definition of the role of the peacekeeping operation in ensuring conditions for normal development of the negotiation process, and also conceptual identification of the range of issues included in the agenda of the dialogue between the parties to the conflict.
“The conflict between Pridnestrovie and Moldova has never been inter-ethnic in nature. It is “a conflict of the identity”, - informed the Minister addressing to the young experts. At the same time, she said, there is an ethnic component in the conflict – a Romanian factor and the Romanization as a process that constitutes a challenge both for the Moldovans and Russians equally. “Representatives of different nationalities always live peacefully in Pridnestrovie,” – resumed the Minister.
According to Nina Shtanski, currently the most serious circumstance which has an impact on the course of the negotiation process and makes it not enough effective, is the difference between the positions of the parties on understanding of the essence of the negotiation process, the role of each of the parties, and also authority of the political representatives to deal with issues. She reminded in this regard, as early as in 2005 Moldova unilaterally defined for itself a status of Pridnestrovie, outside the negotiation process and contrary to its foundation, without considering someone's views. But in 2006 people in Pridnestrovie expressed their will and defined the vector of development.
The absence of the system of guarantees that would ensure implementation of the reached agreements, the system establishing liability for a failure to fulfill the agreements has a negative effect on the negotiation process. The minister noted that currently extremely small number of agreements was executed and the majority of them had been reached in the last two years.In the course of the report Nina Shtanski paid attention to the main documents determined principles of interaction of the parties in the negotiation process, as well as developmental stages of the dialogue between the RM and the PMR.
Following the speech the Head of the Pridnestrovian diplomacy was asked a wide range of questions relating to various aspects of bilateral relations between Pridnestrovie and other countries and regions, and also creation of the image of the state abroad.
