Today the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PMR at the instruction of the Pridnestrovian leadership sent a letter to the participants of the “5+2” format in which it expressed the utmost concern over the developing situation.
The leadership of the PMR receives addresses from Pridnestrovian enterpreuners on the facts of the unprecedented and systematic pressure on them by the law enforcement agencies of the Republic of Moldova, bringing about the full-scale criminal repression against the economic agents of Pridnestrovie.
The practice of politically motivated prosecution in Moldova against Pridnestrovie’s officials is not ceased, as evidenced by the incoming summons and instructions to appear for interrogation as suspects under the criminal cases opened in Moldova. We are particularly concerned that Pridnestrovian entrepreneurs engaged in commercial activities in full accordance with the laws of Pridnestrovie become the objects of criminal prosecution in Moldova now.
Criminal proceedings were instituted against Pridnestrovian importers: import into the territory of Pridnestrovie of products for domestic consumption, including food, and for use as raw material is classified by Moldova as “illegal business activities” and “smuggling”. According to the Pridnestrovian side, through these actions Moldova openly tightens up the economic blockade against the republic due to the attempts of transferring imports taken in violation of the already existing discriminatory trade regime imposed by Moldova and Ukraine in 2006.
This is reflected in the dynamics of receipt of funds to the national budget from excise (import) duties, customs duties and tax payments (a comparative analysis of receipt of funds in March 2015 versus the same period in 2014 is presented in the graphs).
In a letter sent to the address of Moldova, Ukraine and the OSCE by the Foreign Ministry it is emphasized: Pridnestrovie’s leadership considers the application of the above methods of integrated pressure as premeditated actions aimed at disrupting the negotiations and threatening with interruption of other contacts between the parties.
In Pridnestrovie’s view, the Moldovan side deliberately pushes Pridnestrovie to a symmetrical response on a number of sensitive areas. The Pridnestrovian side will have to pay very close attention to the anti-state activities, in particular, of police and other representatives of the law enforcement agencies of Moldova, presenting for many years in the Security Zone outside the existing arrangements (non-members of the United Operational Investigative Group) and grossly violating the rules of the interaction in areas with high security regime which were established by the Agreement of 1992 and other contractual legal acts.
It is noteworthy that the pressure on the Pridnestrovian entrepreneurs paying all statutory charges in the Pridnestrovian budget and without having fiscal relations with the Republic of Moldova in accordance with the Moldovan legislation, in particular - by the Resolution of the Government of the RM No. 1001 dated September 19, 2001, sets the parties back at the time when the 100% protective duties was in effect in the PMR for Moldovan economic agents, return to which will hardly contribute to the strengthening of trade relations between the parties.
The letter also notes that the Pridnestrovian side has sufficient documentary materials to characterize the actions of a number of officials of Moldova as illegal and coming within criminal liability under the laws of Pridnestrovie. In this case, it is the Pridnestrovian side that initiated a synchronous closure of criminal cases against officials of the parties to the conflict. Need for a speedy resolution of that sensitive problem was confirmed by President of Pridnestrovie E. Shevchuk and Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova Gaburich Kiril during a meeting held on March 14 in Kishinev. Meanwhile, Pridnestrovie’s initiative on arranging a meeting as quick as possible of competent representatives of law enforcement authorities, the Prosecutor's Office and special services for the comprehensive analysis of the problem and the search for its solutions has not received an adequate response from the Moldovan side.
According to the Pridnestrovian side, the fact that all the above steps to increase pressure on Pridnestrovie are conducted against the background of public declarations of the Moldovan side on the desire to return to the continuation of the official work in the “5+2” format, clearly indicates the intention of the Moldovan side to aggravate the already difficult relationship about what the representatives of the Republic of Moldova do not say openly, preferring proven pressure and threats tactics.
The address of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PMR emphasizes: the counterproductive actions of the Moldovan side threaten to interrupt the negotiation process, completely blocking the official work in it. In this case, the Foreign Ministry of the PMR thinks that the responsibility for the disruption of negotiations and the aggravation of relations between Tiraspol and Kishinev will entirely fall on the Moldovan side. In this regard, the Foreign Ministry reiterated its appeal to the representatives of the Republic of Moldova to proceed immediately to the responsible resolution of urgent problems on the tracks of economic issues and politically motivated prosecution.
In a letter sent today the PMR’s Foreign Ministry addressed to the guarantor countries - Russia and Ukraine, as well as the mediator - OSCE with a request to engage to the greatest possible extent in the assistance to the parties in finding immediate solutions for early stabilization of the situation and preservation of the interaction between Moldova and Pridnestrovie, as well as to initiate consultations on this issue in Tiraspol and Kishinev.
