The office of the Pridnestrovian head of state hosted the next meeting between Pridnestrovian president Vadim Krasnoselsky and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Her Majesty the Queen of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the Republic of Moldova Steven Fisher. Foreign Minister Vitaly Ignatiev and the British Embassy representative Iulia Gutuleac also took part in the discussion. Welcoming the guests, Vadim Krasnoselsky noted that more than four months had passed since the last (February) conversation. The Pridnestrovian president stressed that Transnistria should not be held hostage to the geopolitical situation resulting from the deteriorating relations between other states.
The discussed covered a number of topics in detail. The sides spoke, for example, about the PACE decision to recognize Pridnestrovie as a territory occupied by the Russian Federation. “I understand that this is a decision related to anti-Russian sanctions. But Pridnestrovie is not optimistic about this decision,” Vadim Krasnoselsky stressed. He recalled that in line with the current decision of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, a 1992 agreement on the peaceful settlement is still in force. It stipulates the right of the Russian peacekeeping forces to be present on the territory of Pridnestrovie. The provisions of these two documents are mutually exclusive, the PMR President noted.
The President also said that the republic remained faithful to the position indicated earlier: the Pridnestrovian armed forces and the group of Russian troops, which is on a peacekeeping mission in Pridnestrovie, make no plans of armed aggression against neighboring states – even amidst committed terrorist acts and provocations. “The acts of terrorism and sabotage did not change my opinion. I did not accuse the neighboring states’ leadership of organizing them, understanding that this is the work of middle-ranking representatives. I called on the Moldovan Prosecutor’s Office and the OSCE to take part in the investigation. They refused to respond. As for the bombing of the MSS building and the explosions at the Mayak station, I asked Mr. Zelensky to look into it to exclude any further provocative actions. I have not changed my position. If Pridnestrovie is provoked and dragged into hostilities, it will be fatal for peace in Europe,” Vadim Krasnoselsky said, stressing that politicians, regardless of their nationality, are divided into two categories: those who benefit from the conflict and those who don’t.
The British Ambassador, in turn, said that the state he represented wanted to know what influence the Russian-Ukrainian conflict had on other countries. Steven Fisher noted he came to Tiraspol to obtain reliable firsthand information about the direct impact on Pridnestrovie. The diplomat also said he welcomed Pridnestrovie’s commitment to settle any problems peacefully.
