The PMR President convened the meeting of representatives of Expert (Working) Groups of Pridnestrovie as part of the negotiation process with the Republic of Moldova. The officials informed the Head of State about the activities of the working bodies within “Permanent Meeting ...” format in relevant areas. Sergey Obolonik introduced the Economic Issues. He represents the agenda on banking issues, barriers that economic entities of Pridnestrovie face when implementing foreign economic activity (we are talking about joint Moldovan-Ukrainian control in Kuchurgany, blocking the work on reconciling the registers of imported goods, restrictions on the issuance of Euro 1 export certificates, etc..) licensing (refusal to issue licenses to exporters of scrap of ferrous and non-ferrous metals and import of certain types of products). Aspects that impede the activities of Pridnestrovian enterprises in the textile and footwear industries, MMZ (JSC Moldova Steel Works), and Tiraspoltransgaz-Pridnestrovie remain relevant. The issues of veterinary and phytosanitary control have stalled. The problem of fuels and lubricants expertise is not resolved.
Issues, related to railway traffic are also interconnected within economic direction. Yury Oleynik, Director General of the Pridnestrovian Railways informed the participants of the meeting about the situation in this direction, noting that most of the problems have a long history. The banking profile is also closely related to the economy and the activities of the Expert (Working) Group. The Chairman of the PRB (Pridnestrovian Republican Bank), Vladislav Tidva, indicated that in addition to the problems associated with closing the accounts of Pridnestrovian enterprises in Moldovan banks, the issue of converting lei as well as restrictions to use the international payment systems Visa and MasterCard are being discussed. Vadim Krasnoselsky noted that it has mostly to do with social policy and the violation of human rights than with economy. The Pridnestrovian Ombudsman Vyacheslav Kosinsky told about the situation within this area interaction. He noted the unwillingness of the Moldovan side to engage in practical work and added that the Moldovan colleagues are not interested in the needs and rights of Pridnestrovians. The lack of constructivism on the part of Moldova was also mentioned by Alexey Tsurcan. He represents Pridnestrovie in the Expert (Working) Group on Healthcare Issues. One of the most acute problems in this field today is the import of medicines, medical devices and dietary supplements. The problem is that Moldova insists on using its register of drugs admissible for import and is citing its identity as Pridnestrovian and that is absolutely untrue. “We, unlike Moldova, use the market not only of the European Union but do also import medicines from the CIS countries,” the head of the Pridnestrovian Ministry of Health said. Another Moldovan argument - the lack of special equipment for conducting examinations in Pridnestrovie - is also irrelevant: according to Alexey Tsurcan, we do possess the device (liquid chromatograph for determining the composition of medications and the presence of potent substances in them).
The Minister of Education reported on foreign policy related to Education Issues. She outlined two main areas: apostille of diplomas of Pridnestrovian universities and the functioning of schools with teaching based on Latin scripts. Alla Nikolyuk reported o that citizens appeal and inform of non-recognition of apostilled education documents by Ukraine and Germany. These countries require the so-called super legalization. There is no progress in resolving this issue from the Moldovan side. The most discussed in the Expert (Working) Group on education is the topic of schools, which are usually called Romanian. Usually, five educational institutions are mostly discussed. They are constantly visited by experts, both Pridnestrovian and international. But there are three more schools (in Bendery, Grigoriopol and Dubossary) whose doors are closed for supervisors. According to Alla Nikolyuk, “the new representatives of the Moldovan side in the Expert (Working) Group gave a careful promise to think about the possibility of visiting these schools in August current year.” Vadim Krasnoselsky noted that the issue of schools functioning with teaching based on Latin scripts has always been overly politicized. The PMR President stressed out that there are 34 Moldovan schools and 92 kindergartens on the territory of Pridnestrovie where the educational process is organized in Moldavian. They also teach in it at universities of the republic. It is very important that the international community possesses this information along with information about how many Russian schools are closed in Moldova and about the lack of Moldavian schools in principle (they were officially replaced by Romanian ones).
The topic of the Romanian schools was also touched upon when discussing the work of the Expert Group on Crime Combating. This direction is related to the issue of Criminal Cases cessation. Vadim Krasnoselsky reminded that they should be considered in three separate blocks: cases related to the functioning of schools in Pridnestrovie with teaching based on Latin scripts, those related to land use in the Dubossary district, and criminal cases of other directions. Questions on the first two groups should be removed long ago, as agreements on these aspects have been reached, the PMR President believes. He insists on the need for an audit of criminal cases and on lists exchange. The Pridnestrovian side has repeatedly declared readiness while the Moldovan side has ignored the proposal. As for other areas of work of the Expert Group responsible for law enforcement, according to the Minister of Internal Affairs of the PMR Ruslan Mova, recent working meetings confirm the Moldovan side’s unwillingness to engage in a constructive dialogue. A similar conclusion was voiced by Alexey Lipovtsev (he is responsible for the customs sector of the negotiation agenda). According to him, all working arrangements are carried out unilaterally by Pridnestrovians: Moldovan negotiators stop immediately after making promises. Communications and telecommunications, agriculture, the humanitarian sector, justice - representatives of Pridnestrovie in the Expert (Working) Groups in these areas gave roughly the same assessment for the working bodies activities within “5 + 2” format. The head of the foreign ministry, in turn, noted that Moldova has adjusted its tactics: if in 2019 it was about sabotaging and blocking the negotiation process then this year it is an imitation of readiness for dialogue.
“The situation in the negotiation process has become very complicated. If in 2018 more than eighty meetings of Expert (Working) Groups were held, in 2019 a little more than twenty. If in 2018 there were more than twenty meetings of political representatives, in 2019 - only three. The absence of the normal dialogue between political representatives and working bodies of the format virtually eliminates the development of negotiation agenda,” Vadim Krasnoselsky summed up the reports. He aimed the meeting participants to continue working at upholding the interests of the Pridnestrovians. The basis of this activity is the dialogue with Moldovan colleagues. It is necessary to implement the agreements reached earlier and seek solutions to newly emerging problems, the PMR President emphasized. He encouraged working on every aspect and documenting decisions. Vadim Krasnoselsky stressed out that each issue on the negotiation agenda is inherently humanitarian: we are talking about difficulties artificially created for the Pridnestrovian inhabitants. Vadim Krasnoselsky also noted the role of guarantors, mediators and observers of the “Permanent Meeting ...” format.
“Pridnestrovie is consistent in its aspirations and actions,” the President underlined, urging the PMR’s Expert (Working) Groups representatives not to decrease activity and to work out every item on the negotiation agenda.
Source: website of the PMR President
