07/03/14
These days the delegation of Pridnestrovie headed by the PMR\'s President Yevgeny Shevchuk is on an official visit to Moscow. As previously reported, the main outcome of the visit was the signing of seven memoranda on interagency cooperation in the sphere of economy, industry, transport, agriculture, antimonopoly policy, education, science and culture. The documents were signed in the development of the Protocol "Rogozin-Shevchuk" dated October 25, 2013.During today\'s meeting with journalists in the press center of “Parlamentskaya Gazeta” Yevgeny Shevchuk noted that the main purpose of the signed agreements is to promote the development of economic ties between Pridnestrovie and Russia, deblocking transport routes, socio-economic cooperation between states.In the context of the signed Association Agreement between Moldova and the European Union of June 27 of this year, the strengthening of Pridnestrovian-Russian ties becomes vital for the republic. Yevgeny Shevchuk emphasized that, according to economic calculations, a new form of trade relations between Moldova and the EU threatens the country with serious risks. As the head of the state noted, primarily such major industries as metallurgy and mechanical engineering are in the firing line. "Unemployment risks will be high in the event of closures of the enterprises. And we have to defend and protect the interests and rights of our citizens, "- said Yevgeny Shevchuk. In this regard, he explained that "the Pridnestrovian side activates the work with a guarantor country, the Russian Federation, for building direct economic ties to minimize the negative consequences."Answering the question about the state of Pridnestrovian-Ukrainian relations, the President confirmed that current events in Ukraine "affect and, moreover, influence the Pridnestrovian economy and the situation with the movement of citizens across the Pridnestrovian-Ukrainian border segment." "The Ukrainian side arguing that these are some security regimes, introduced in order to protect their interests. Which precisely - they do not explain. Our citizens with Russian passports cannot travel through Odessa airport or use railway transport, as they did before", - stated Yevgeny Shevchuk. The president informed the journalists that in connection with the events in Ukraine over the past few months the passenger flow through the Pridnestrovian-Ukrainian border segment has fallen almost in 3 times.At the same time, according to the head of the state, these restrictions did not affect cargo movement. "Cargoes move in accordance with those regimes that were established in 2006. Import enters the territory of Pridnestrovie, export runs only with the Moldovan provisions. The situation in Ukraine has not influenced the direction of Pridnestrovian import, and we hope that our partners in Ukraine will not, at least, make worse the status quo"- said Yevgeny Shevchuk. The journalists were also interested in the way out of the blockade which the President of Pridnestrovie sees. "Given the fact that the political conflict between Tiraspol and Kishinev is still unsettled, it is clear that all the international partners and Pridnestrovie need to search for a formula to ensure the conditions for sustaining life and stability in the region in general and particularly in Pridnestrovie" - said Yevgeny Shevchuk. He stressed that inter alia during negotiations in the 5 +2 format the Pridnestrovian side had repeatedly proposed, in terms of a strategic approach, to solve the problems of the PMR's functioning on the whole and to improve relations with Kishinev within the "civilized divorce". "We believe that the will of people who live in the conflict zone and their opinion should be taken into account and be used as a base for the settlement. We have proposed this formula. Unfortunately, nobody in Kishinev has responded positively to this proposal. In our opinion, there is no other constructive formula and we hope that our partners in Kiev and Kishinev and all 5 +2 participants will consider this initiative through the prism of the rights of citizens ", - concluded the head of the PMR.Speaking to the journalists about the aspirations of people living in Pridnestrovie, Yevgeny Shevchuk said that "certainly, Pridnestrovians would like the Russian Federation, Moldova and Ukraine to recognize the will of Pridnestrovian people". According to the President, it is the shortest way to stabilize the situation in the region in general.Yevgeny Shevchuk also drew the attention of the media to the fact that the Russian Federation consistently complied with the norms of the international document within the commitments that Russia had undertaken, including those of 1997, when the Moscow Memorandum was signed, under which Moldova and Pridnestrovie accepted obligations not to apply unilateral steps which can be directed to the deterioration of the parties conditions.
