Today, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PMR hosted an online reporting board conference meeting, dedicated to summing up the results of department's work in 2020. President of the PMR Vadim Krasnoselsky, Chairman of the Supreme Council of the PMR Alexander Korshunov, Chairman of the PMR Government Alexander Martynov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to Moldova Oleg Vasnetsov, Head of the PMR Official Representation in Russia Leonid Manakov, Plenipotentiary Representative of the Republic of Abkhazia in Pridnestrovie Alexander Vataman, heads of executive and judicial authorities and media representatives attended the event as well.
While reporting, Vitaly Ignatiev noted that 2020 was a serious test for Pridnestrovie and the country's foreign policy: “The COVID-19 coronavirus infection pandemic affected all spheres of public life, affected most countries of the world and the nature of Pridnestrovie's international interaction. Pridnestrovian diplomacy solved problems not only within the framework of traditional challenges, but also promptly found effective mechanisms to respond to new difficulties and threats."
According to the Minister, since the beginning of March 2020, employees of the Foreign Ministry systematically provided assistance to Pridnestrovian residents in terms of returning to their homeland, were on duty in the Crisis Center within the competence of the Pridnestrovian Foreign Ministry and advised citizens on issues related to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Cooperating with diplomatic missions of various states, the PMR MFA formed lists of citizens meant for completing charter flights, assisted citizens’ return if documents absent. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PMR regularly interacted with the Russian Operations Headquarters and the Embassies of Russia on issues of assistance to citizens of the PMR. In the spring of 2020, it was possible to return home the citizens of Pridnestrovie from more than 30 countries of the world and the work on their return contributed to the expansion of diplomatic contacts of Pridnestrovie,” the PMR Foreign Minister said.
Vitaly Ignatiev noted that in the fight against COVID-19, Pridnestrovie received expert and practical assistance from the Russian Federation, foreign embassies, including Great Britain, Slovakia, Poland, Germany, the Czech Republic and international organizations, including WHO.
Speaking about the negotiation process with the Republic of Moldova, the diplomat stated the negative trends that had worsened since the summer of 2019 last year and that led to a complete dialogue stagnation due to Moldovan side’s refusal to fulfill its obligations. “Chisinau not merely blocked issues solution from the Berlin + negotiation agenda, but also provoked new crises in the dialogue when introducing restrictions for Pridnestrovian citizens,” the Minister added. He pointed, in particular, to the Republic of Moldova’s attempts to impose restrictions on PMR vehicles; create problems in the VRO activities, block the import of goods, including funds to combat the pandemic, and problems in the banking sector.
“The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the real attitude of Moldova towards the conflict settlement process and towards Pridnestrovie as a whole. Instead of a civilized consolidation of efforts in the face of a global threat, Kishinev used the pandemic to intensify blockade and restrictive measures against the PMR, and sought to inflict maximum damage on the country's population,” Vitaly Ignatiev said. According to him, these approaches of Moldova have become an eloquent confirmation of the axiom that only the Pridnestrovian state is capable of protecting and fully realizing the interests of the republic's multinational population.
“It is equally important that all international participants in the negotiation process have become witnesses of the primitive political Kishinev’s paradigm. It was again clearly confirmed that it is the Moldovan side that is doing everything possible to destroy the negotiation mechanism, to level any forms of adequate interaction and mutual trust bearing the main goal to delay the conflict settlement process in an effort to continue parasitizing on international support for as long as possible, "the PMR Foreign Minister noted.
Continuing his report, Vitaly Ignatiev briefly highlighted the main aspects of 2020interaction with the Russian Federation, Ukraine, the republics of the Caucasus, foreign countries and international organizations. “There is not a single country in the world that has not suffered damage due to the pandemic. However, in our case, the republic faced an increasing complexity of challenges - the pandemic factor has multiplied traditional long-term problems. The results of diplomatic work show that Pridnestrovie coped with the “surging stream”, and protected the interests of the population, thus, it once again proved to the world community its viability and strengthened its position in international relations, ” the diplomat concluded.
In his speech, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia Oleg Vasnetsov noted the active cooperation between Russia and Pridnestrovie in the framework of solving the problems of Russian compatriots in the PMR: “It is invariably in the focus of our attention. We will continue strengthening this direction, expanding the range of humanitarian cooperation by joint efforts. "
The Head of the PMR Official Representation in the Russian Federation, Leonid Manakov announced some of the Foreign Establishment’s activities results and emphasized that a stable team of Pridnestrovian friends was formed during his work; it consists of Russian politicians, senators, State Duma deputies, representatives of government agencies and public organizations.
In turn, the First President of the PMR, Igor Smirnov, said that the Pridnestrovian Foreign Ministry is "a coordinating link that has never gone away from the main task of strengthening statehood as the main guarantee of the peaceful development of Pridnestrovian people."
Addressing the audience, the President of the PMR Vadim Krasnoselsky dwelled on the emerging situation in the relations between Pridnestrovie and the Republic of Moldova. He expressed the opinion that not only the pandemic predetermined the of the 2020 dialogue stagnation. Its causes lie back in 2019, when the Republic of Moldova disrupted the "Permanent Conference ..." meeting’s final document signing in Bratislava. “The purpose of these actions was to destroy the negotiation process, liquidate the 5 + 2 format negotiating platform and push Pridnestrovie, as an equal party, out of negotiations. The ultimate goal was to decide the fate of Pridnestrovie without Pridnestrovie,” the President stressed.
Vadim Krasnoselsky noted that he was "shocked" by Moldova’s actions at the beginning of pandemic, related to blocking cargo, preventing the delivery of medicines and protective equipment during pandemic when torpedoing efforts to deploy laboratories for conducting PCR tests in the PMR, politicizing the topic of Pridnestrovian quarantine posts. “I hope that we will restore the 5 + 2 format functioning in 2021. I count on the work of the Swedish Chairmanship in the OSCE, on a proper current situation assessment by all participants in the negotiation process, as well as on their understanding that it is necessary to move forward,” the Head of State said. In this context, he instructed the PMR Ministry of Foreign Affairs to continue efforts to resume the negotiation process at all levels.
Vadim Krasnoselsky also drew attention to the need to internationally promotion the PMR state idea which consists in strengthening the independence of the republic and implementing the results of the 2006 referendum, forming a community of "Pridnestrovian people" and building a socially oriented state with a market economy.
Ending his speech, the President of the PMR thanked the Russian Federation for the support provided, pointed out the current and promising areas of further bilateral cooperation and congratulated as well the Pridnestrovian and Russian diplomats on their professional holiday.
