PMR Foreign Minister Vitaly Ignatiev is on a working visit to Moscow. As part of the visit, the Foreign Minister attended a round table on Russia’s Participation in the Peacekeeping Operation in Pridnestrovie: 30 Years of Peace and Stability in the Region, organized on the platform of the Federation Council. Representatives of the Federation Council Committees on Foreign Affairs, Defense and Security, the State Duma, the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation, the Russian Defense and Foreign Affairs Ministries, and the expert community were among those invited. PMR President Vadim Krasnoselsky and Chairman of the PMR Supreme Council Alexander Korshunov joined via video link.
Welcoming the participants of the event, First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security Alexander Rakitin reminded that the armed conflict that happened 30 years ago on the Dniester was stopped thanks to Russian servicemen. The agreement on the principles of peaceful settlement of the conflict signed July 21, 1992 served as a cease-fire and the beginning of the peacekeeping operation on the Dniester. According to Alexander Rakitin, during the past period no aggravation of the situation has been allowed, and Pridnestrovie itself is an excellent example of interethnic harmony.
The first deputy chairperson of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs Vladimir Dzhabarov also spoke about the success of the peacekeeping operation, expressing the opinion that Russia would continue to ensure peace on the Dniester.
Pridnestrovian President Vadim Krasnoselsky addressed the participants of the round table. The head of the state touched upon the history of the armed conflict against the PMR, the preconditions for the deployment of a peacekeeping contingent and the current state of the negotiation process. Particular emphasis was placed on the PACE recently declaring Pridnestrovie a territory allegedly occupied by Russia:
“We get a kind of legal collision: on the one hand, the Moldovan delegation votes for recognizing Russia as an occupant and aggressor, allegedly that Russia has occupied Pridnestrovie, and on the other hand, Moldova does not withdraw from the agreement of July 21, 1992. These two documents absolutely contradict each other.”
The President also stressed the interethnic peace and concord in Pridnestrovie: “We have never oppressed anyone’s native tongue; we develop the culture of any nation.
The PMR President especially pointed out that the Russian peacekeeping in Pridnestrovie has existed for more than 200 years, since Tiraspol was founded by the military commander Alexander Suvorov.
In his speech, Pridnestrovian Foreign Minister Vitaly Ignatiev drew attention to the current unprecedented security threats. For the first time in three decades, the republic has been subjected to terrorist acts, some of which can be traced back to Ukraine. However, the arson of the military registration office in the capital in May this year was organized by the Moldovan special services. Vitaly Ignatiev told the audience about the militarization and Romanization of Moldova, focusing on the ongoing hybrid war against Pridnestrovie. The analysis was given to the military and political assimilation of Moldova by the Western countries, noticeably accelerated in the light of granting Moldova the status of candidate to membership in the EU.
In the opinion of the Foreign Minister, in order to prevent a catastrophe in the region, it is necessary to protect the peacekeeping operation, and it must continue, despite the possible demarches of Moldova.
“My main appeal is the need to realize the seriousness and extent of the threats to Russia and Pridnestrovie. An indicator of our consciousness must be our concrete decisions and practical actions aimed at protecting Russian citizens, compatriots of half a million Pridnestrovians and the peacekeeping operation on the Dniester. It has to continue under any circumstances,” the Foreign Minister said.
Alexei Pushkov, Chairman of the Federation Council Provisional Commission on Information Policy and Interaction with the Media, said in his speech that Moldova is now progressively cutting off Pridnestrovie from itself, just as Ukraine has cut off Donbass from itself. “This makes one think about in what new forms can help resolve this crisis,” said Alexei Pushkov. He added that under these conditions, Russia is obliged to respond to the situation accordingly, because “we have a moral and political responsibility for Pridnestrovie.”
Alexei Polishchuk, Head of the Second Department of CIS Countries of the Russian MFA, State Duma Deputy Alyona Arshinova, Chairman of the Supreme Council of the PMR Alexander Korshunov, as well as some representatives of the expert community spoke during the discussion.
