What does the term “separatism” mean and is it legal to apply it to Pridnestrovie? Answers to these questions by President of PMR Vadim Krasnoselsky in a conversation with Nikita Kondratov, journalist of Pridnestrovian State TV & Radio Broadcasting Company
Nikita Kondratov, First Pridnestrovian TV:
Good day, Vadim Nikolayevich! Today, Pridnestrovie is a talking point for many, including the Moldovan authorities. For example, Deputy Prime Minister for so-called Reintegration Oleg Serebrian says that Romanians live in Grigoriopol and calls Pridnestrovians separatists. The Law on Separatism has been adopted. How would you comment on all this information noise around our country?
Vadim Krasnoselsky, President of the PMR:
Nikita, right you are. It is a pressing issue. It was not yesterday when they started calling us separatists. This story is over thirty years old. It has always irritated me. I felt it was unfair. It was not only my feeling, but also my knowledge. Unfortunately, this term “separatism”, being spread in Moldova, puts pressure on people. Today, I would like to explain what separatism really is, who is a separatist and why Moldova “boosts” the term “separatist”, pointing to the Pridnestrovians. Why do they cause bad blood in this way? Who needs it?
My legal conclusions will be based solely on Moldovan legislation. The fundamental legislation of Moldova is the Declaration of Independence, proclaimed on August 27, 1991, and related reference instruments, adopted either by the parliament or other agencies of Moldova.
As a first step, let’s open the 1999 edition of the legal encyclopedia and read: “Separatism (lat. separatus) is the pursuance of separation, isolation; a movement for the partial state separation and establishment of a new state or a movement for autonomy in a part of the national territory.”
Well, one might wonder, everyone in Pridnestrovie is a separatist. But let's speak of the history a little. We used to live within a common territorial entity, i.e. the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic, as part of the USSR. Those who remember will understand me. It was a golden time for Moldavia – a time of development, prosperity, friendship of peoples, development of the Moldavian language, culture, traditions, customs. Moldavia had an image of a flourishing land. It was true. It developed, everything was fine. The older generation remember this time with both joy and pain, because they lost what God gave to this land for all its suffering.
Let me remind you how the Moldavian SSR was established. It is no easy matter. The Moldavian SSR was established by the Soviet Union on August 2, 1940. How did it happen? Until August 2, 1940, there were two entities: Bessarabia, which was part of royal Romania, and the MASSR (Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic), proclaimed in October 1924. By the way, this year marks the 100th anniversary of our statehood. It was an autonomy within Soviet Ukraine. Two entities: Bessarabia as part of royal Romania, MASSR as part of the Soviet Union as an autonomy of Ukraine.
Upon signing the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact on August 23, 1939, special protocols and annexes determined the administrative geography of Europe. We will not discuss now what an instrument it was, what dictators were its authors, etc. This is a secondary issue, a separate topic for discussion. We can talk about the Munich Agreement and the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. There is a cause-and-effect relationship, but it is not the matter now. We are talking about it as the ground zero – the establishment of the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic. The MSSR was established on August 2, 1940. In which way? Bessarabia was annexed to the at that time existing Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. We did not come there; Bessarabia was annexed to us.
Nikita Kondratov, First Pridnestrovian TV:
In fact, the territory of modern Moldova was annexed to Pridnestrovie.
Vadim Krasnoselsky, President of the PMR:
Speaking in a modern way, sovereign Moldova was annexed to the MASSR and the MSSR was established. This is important to understand. The basis, of course, was the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact on the division of territories. Now, the weirdest thing. Why did the Moldavian SSR cease as a territorial unit, as a former republic of the Soviet Union? What decisions formed the basis for the decomposition of the MSSR? Here, of course, Nikita, we must remember the collapse of the Soviet Union, the so-called parade of sovereignties. Speaking in a modern way, the parade of separatism, that is, separation from the Soviet Union. Almost all of the union republics, with a few exceptions, followed this path; their Supreme Councils voted for these documents. It’s a tragedy in fact. But that is another story. The Moldavian SSR also followed this path. And the MPs of the Moldavian SSR also adopted the Declaration of Sovereignty on June 23, 1990. But Moldavian parliamentarians took it a step further: they began to select historical documents and recognize them as insignificant or illegal, i.e. the documents thanks to which the Moldavian SSR was created. I’ll give you a couple of examples. In addition to the Declaration of Sovereignty dated June 23, 1990 – this document is available on the Internet, in the public domain – the Parliament adopted Resolution No. 149, also dated June 23, 1990, on the conclusion by the Board of the Supreme Soviet of the SSR Moldova regarding the political and legal assessment of the German-Soviet Non-Aggression Treaty and the Secret Protocol dated August 23, 1939. The document was adopted and promulgated on June 23, 1990. This resolution approved the illegal proclamation of the Moldavian SSR on August 2, 1940. Let me read out the conclusion, “The illegal proclamation of the Moldavian SSR on August 2, 1940 was a dismemberment of Bessarabia and Bukovina. The transfer of Northern Bukovina and the districts of Khotyn, Izmail and Chetatya Albe under the jurisdiction of the Ukrainian SSR contradicted the historical truth and ethnic reality of that time.” Illegal proclamation! Thus, this resolution actually put an end to the Moldavian SSR, dividing the Moldavian SSR into two entities: historical Bessarabia and the MASSR. At the same time, they did not forget to stipulate their claims to Ukraine, but that is another point.
Now let’s take another document. This is the Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Moldova. It was adopted by the Parliament of Moldova in Chisinau on August 27, 1991. This is the most important document of Moldova. This instrument has supreme legal force over the Constitution. There is a relevant resolution of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Moldova that the declaration has supreme legal force over the Constitution of Moldova. What does it contain? The wording is as follows, “Taking into account that the declarations of many parliaments consider the agreement concluded on August 23, 1939 between the Government of the USSR and the Government of Germany to be invalid from the very beginning and require the elimination of political and legal consequences, which was also emphasized in the Chisinau Declaration adopted on June 28, 1991 at the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and Its Consequences for Bessarabia International Conference.
Let’s proceed with another document. It is the Chisinau Declaration of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and Its Consequences for Bessarabia International Conference, held on June 26-28, 1991.
What is important to note here is also its conclusion. I won't read the whole text. Just an excerpt, “...participants of the First International Conference to analyze the consequences of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, based on the universal values of freedom and democracy, believe that the Pact and the Secret Protocol to it are invalid, their consequences must be eliminated.” That is, the Declaration of Independence directly speaks of the need to eliminate the legal consequences of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.
Further, “At the same time, we express confidence that the complex profound transformations... will ensure the full implementation of the inalienable right to national freedom of the Bessarabian Romanians…” Here it is, Moldovan politicians and lawyers came up with this, not me. I’m just quoting. Then. The same Declaration of Independence. I go on, “Emphasizing that, without asking the population of Bessarabia, northern Bukovina and the Hertsa Region, forcibly captured on June 28, 1940, as well as the population of the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (Transnistria), established on October 12, 1924, the USSR Supreme Council, in violation of its constitutional powers, adopted on August 2, 1940 the USSR Law On Formation of the Moldavian SSR, the regulations that tried to justify, without any real legal background, the dismemberment of these territories and the affiliation of the new republic with the USSR.” The Declaration of Independence clearly states the nullity of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and that the Moldavian SSR was established illegally. That’s it. Let me remind you that the Moldavian SSR was formed on August 2, 1940 by uniting the MASSR and Bessarabia. Bessarabia was annexed to the MASSR. This is the historical territory of Pridnestrovie, and of Moldova, as it is called now. Thus, then Moldovan parliamentarians, Moldovan officials, politicians, lawyers and other put an end to the Moldavian SSR.
It was then, with the collapse of the Soviet Union, that the Soviet republics declared their sovereignty. But Moldova went further. It managed to leave not only the Soviet Union, but also the Moldavian SSR. I want to ask the officials of the Republic of Moldova: do you recognize the Declaration of Independence of your state? Yes or no? If yes, then eliminate the legal consequences of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and the illegal establishment - in your words - of the Moldavian SSR. Recognize Pridnestrovie. There is no other way out. All other laws on the so-called left bank status contradict your Declaration of Independence. There can be no talk of any autonomy. You must give up these territories. This is your responsibility under the Declaration of Independence.
They dissolved the Moldavian SSR and created two entities. In essence, this was an act of separatism. As I read from the legal encyclopedia - separation of states.
Nikita Kondratov, First Pridnestrovian TV:
Soviet Union and MSSR, right?
Vadim Krasnoselsky, President of the PMR:
Absolutely correct. There was a double fact. But now I’m talking specifically about the Moldavian SSR. For us it is more fateful. Moldovan parliamentarians destroyed the MSSR. Moreover, and this is the most important factor, if we consider the formation of the PMR, we were abandoned not only de jure, but also de facto, we were denied legal assistance. Imagine, when establishing the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic and at the time of the decomposition of the Moldavian SSR by the parliament, the local population was around 800 thousand people. Life went on, it was necessary to pay pensions, benefits, and ensure human rights and freedoms. What happened? People who lived here, in Pridnestrovie, were denied basic legal assistance. I can give examples, if necessary, when the Moldovan police and prosecutor’s office did not accept applications regarding murders committed here, on the territory of Pridnestrovie. Can you imagine this? It was in fact. People were deprived of everything: freedoms, the right to life, the right to health, etc. What could local MPs do? To create something called a state mechanism, to establish a state, to develop the agencies that will ensure rights and freedoms.
Nikita Kondratov, First Pridnestrovian TV:
To protect Pridnestrovie.
Vadim Krasnoselsky, President of the PMR:
To protect the people, just to protect the people. This is how the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, Pridnestrovie, was established. It was necessary to protect the local people – this is in fact. Therefore, the separatists are precisely that side, the officials who destroyed the MSSR. And the Declaration of Independence confirms it. Please read it. That’s it.
I want to address the people living in Moldova. There are thoughtful and concerned people. Read, listen to me, and you will understand that we are not separatists, we are a decent neighbor who wants peace, creation, and stability, also in your neighboring state. You are a neighboring state. We are different entities as the products of the Declaration of Independence of Moldova. It happened. Different peoples live here. You have Bessarabian Romanians, as it is written in your documents. Unfortunately. We have a Pridnestrovian multinational people, consisting of 72 nationalities and ethnic groups. This must be taken into account. But why has the Moldovan government been simply stamping the term “separatist” in relation to the Pridnestrovians into the heads of own people for more than 30 years? Why are they stirring up enmity between us? We want to see Moldova as a prosperous state that must choose its own path of development. We are not against any path: make decisions as you wish. And our people of Pridnestrovie will decide their fate. And this has been done more than once. Why do Moldovan officials act like this, why do they spread discord, accuse us of separatism, why did they pass a law on separatism?
Nikita Kondratov, First Pridnestrovian TV:
Do they pass blame for own mistakes?
Vadim Krasnoselsky, President of the PMR:
I think, it’s true to a great extent. Next time, exactly in a week, I will answer about the aim of adopting the Law on Separatism, its consequences, assessments by European human rights agencies.
Nikita Kondratov, First Pridnestrovian TV:
Thank you, we meet again in a week and talk about the Law on Separatism.
Vadim Krasnoselsky, President of the PMR:
For sure, we do.
