Deputy Chairperson of the Government of the PMR, Foreign Minister Nina Shtanski said it during an interview with a special correspondent of the Turkish language broadcasting of the «Sputnik Multimedia» radio station (the international information agency Rossiya Segodnya)
Answering to a journalist's question about current relations of Gagauzia and Pridnestrovie, Nina Shtanski noted: the bilateral cooperation is actively developing, especially in the humanitarian sphere. “We actively cooperate in the cultural sphere, in the field of education, each year dozens of graduates of the Gagauzian schools enroll at the Pridnestrovian State University, where we provide education according to Russian standards - and this is the choice of young Gagauzians,” – said the diplomat.
Commenting on the journalist's question about the elections of the head of the autonomy held in Gagauzia, the Minister stressed that Pridnestrovie always welcomes the free democratic will expression of people. “In this context, we note with satisfaction the fact that the elections of the head of the autonomy were held in friendly Gagauzia without serious violations, in an atmosphere of stability. It would be disingenuous of me to keep quiet about the fact that Pridnestrovie, of course, is pleased of the aspiration of the Gagauzian people to strengthen ties with Russia and the Eurasian Economic Union, as evidenced by the results of the elections. Given that the Eurasian integration was proclaimed as a strategic vector of development of Pridnestrovie and our national idea, we hope that on this platform we will be able to actively develop trade cooperation with economic agents of Gagauzia,” - said the foreign minister.
During the interview, the journalist also touched on the issue of strengthening economic blockade against Pridnestrovie by Ukraine. In this context, Nina Shtanski stated: the “game of the rules” for economic agents of Pridnestrovie are extremely being tightened.
“Only because of the very recent new restrictive measures - I mean the closure of a number of customs points of Ukraine for Pridnestrovian goods and the restriction on the importation of excisable goods into Pridnestrovie - more than 70 Pridnestrovian enterprises have suffered, projected losses just because of these measures in 2015 - 20 million dollars,” - the minister said. “Our economy is almost bloodless, because we cannot carry out foreign economic activity steadily. We have overcome the blockade measures of Moldova for many years. Today, alas, these countries have joined their efforts to strangle Pridnestrovie, probably forgetting that they endanger hundreds of thousands of people living in such conditions, among which, by the way, almost a hundred thousand are citizens of Ukraine permanently residing in Pridnestrovie and many tens of thousands of ethnic Ukrainians,”- said the diplomat.
During the interview, Nina Shtanski also noted that in Pridnestrovian side’s view, Ukraine seriously moves away from the status of a “guarantor country” in the Moldo - Pridnestrovian settlement, openly supporting one of the parties to the conflict.
“We cannot take without concern the statements of Ukrainian diplomats, in particular the representative of Ukraine in the negotiations in the format “5+2” that Pridnestrovie does not have the right to conduct foreign trade at all. At that, the signature of the President of Ukraine (along with the signatures of Russia, Moldova, Pridnestroviе and OSCE) was put to the most important and fundamental document of the negotiation process signed as early as in 1997 (the so-called “Moscow Memorandum”) in which the right of Pridnestrovie to independent foreign economic relations was recorded in an imperative way!” By the way, it was then when Ukraine in the process that we now call the “5+2” got the status of a guarantor country,”- reminded the foreign minister.
In the course of the communication with the journalist Nina Shtanski reiterated that the only effective solution to the conflict, ensuring sustainable regional stability and security, would be a “civilized divorce” of Pridnestrovie and Moldova. “We look forward to the international recognition of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic. It is unrealistic to solve the Pridnestrovian issue by sanctions and ultimatums. It is also unreal to solve it without regard to the opinion of the people living here. The negotiators understand it as well. And if before such an understanding was openly expressed only in the country - guarantor of the settlement - Russia, today also the representatives of the EU, the observers in the negotiations publicly say that the formula will not be viable which does not suit both parties, the people living in the conflict region”, - Nina Shtanski summarized.
