The authorities in Chisinau should be vigilant and immediately report any signs of destabilization of the situation on the left side of the Dniester from Moscow, after the Parliament voted in two readings amendments to the Penal Code, which provide for prison sentences for separatism . This is the opinion of Anatol Țăranu, political commentator, doctor in history, former ambassador of the Republic of Moldova to the Russian Federation, and it was made during a debate at IPN.
“It is possible to escalate the situation in the Transnistrian area. More selective enforcement could substantially reduce this danger, but not eliminate it completely. Moscow will try to use any enforcement of this law to increase the level of tension in the separatist zone. From this point of view, Chisinau must be vigilant and very attentive to the possible reactions regarding the escalation of the situation”, says the former ambassador to Moscow.
According to him, the anti-separatism law is nothing more than a clear signal sent by the current government to both Moscow and the separatist regime in Tiraspol.
“Chisinau no longer wants to tolerate the behavior that has slowed down over the last 30 years. Broadly speaking, I do not think that the new provisions could substantially change the relationship between Chisinau and Tiraspol and eliminate separatism. Moscow finds itself in an embarrassing, even ridiculous situation, having in its own legislation norms that attack separatism on the territory of the Russian Federation. At the same time, Moscow has a state agreement of friendship and collaboration with the Republic of Moldova, where it is expressly stipulated that the parties will not support separatist actions and will respect each other’s sovereignty. What Moscow did when it condemned the decision of the Parliament regarding the Criminal Code, proves that it supports separatism at the expense of the sovereignty of the Republic of Moldova. This position of Moscow is not new, it continues to maintain this leverage as a mechanism of influence”, mentions Țăranu.
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He also says that if the Republic of Moldova will not radically change its approach regarding the political regulation of the Transnistrian conflict, then it will not have a chance to win.
“As long as the Russian Federation continues the line of restoring the former USSR, the Republic of Moldova cannot rely on it regarding the political settlement in Transnistria. It is nonsense that the Russian Federation, which was a participant in the 1992 war and with its own weapons consolidated the separatist regime, today, the pinnacle, appears in the role of international mediator and guarantor of the political settlement of the Transnistrian conflict”, adds Anatol Țăranu.
According to him, the Russian dignitaries fall under the scope of the new Moldovan provisions regarding separatism: “The law provides that foreign subjects who contribute to the propagation of separatism will also be sanctioned. I’ll give you an example: the participation of the Russian Embassy attache in the military parade in Transnistria, this means that they fall under this law and are to be expelled. We needed such a law, but what matters is the formula as it is implemented”.
As for the chances that the provisions of the new law will be applied by legal institutions, Țăranu believes that: “The law must be uniform for all and not selective. It is hard to assume that in the coming days, prosecutors from the Republic of Moldova will file cases against the separatist regime from Tiraspol”.
Anatol Țăranu says that the solution is on the surface, namely, the approval of a law regarding the status of the separatist region within the Republic of Moldova, which would expressly provide that “all contacts between both parties are absolutely legal, and the economic contracts between our oligarchs and those of in Tiraspol are illegal and fall under the Penal Code. Respectively, in this statute it must be expressly stipulated that this is the territory of the Republic of Moldova and we plead for its reintegration”.
At the same time, the expert says that the amendment of the Penal Code, approved by the parliamentary majority recently, has rather “a political value, as it implies the will of the authorities in Chisinau to fight against separatism and in this way evidential material and political arguments are accumulated that will be put on the negotiating table when the time comes for the definitive political settlement of the conflict. This may happen sooner than some think. Ending the war in Ukraine could favor the resolution of the Transnistrian conflict”.