Transnistria should not expect concessions from Moldova: opinion

The window of opportunities of the Transnistrian president-elect Vadim Krasnoselsky is not that big, Mikhail Neyzhmakov, the head of the Center for Political Studies at the Institute for Globalization and Social Movements, has told EADaily while commenting on the outcomes of the presidential race in Transnistria.

“Traditionally, the relations between Moscow, Chisinau, and Kiev have been imposing more influence upon the foreign-policy situation around the republic,” the expert explains.

He does not expect that Moldova would make any concessions to Transnistria under the new president.

Neyzhmakov stresses that the domestic political situation in Moldova is in a shaky balance. “Vlad Plahotniuc, who exerts the decisive influence upon the country’s parliament and government, will try to keep the situation under his control and evade snap parliamentary elections. Major political players in the country are hardly eager to run the risk, so, it will be an extremely hard task for Transnistria to have any serious concessions even in tactical issues,” Neyzhmakov believes.

Many Moldovan politicians have recently spoke on the relations with Transnistria. For instance, Andrian Candu, the chair of the Moldovan parliament, called to get back to solving the Transnistrian issue “taking into account the current regional and international situation.” Moldova’s president-elect Igor Dodon has already announced his intention to have a meeting with Krasnoselsky in Tiraspol.

“It is worth stressing that Chisinau politicians will continue making statements or taking symbolic steps on the subject. But in the current situation, chances are not that high that they would make some practical concessions at the talks with Transnistria,” the expert says.

Chair of the Transnistrian parliament Vadim Krasnoselsky won the December 11 presidential election leaving behind acting president Yevgeny Shevchuk. Shevchuk has signed a decree today saying that the inauguration will be held on December 27.

Moldova's president-elect Igor Dodon said that Krasnoselsky's victory is “a new page in the Chisinau-Tiraspol relations.” He suggested that they should have a meeting in Tiraspol. “We have plenty of topics to discuss. I am sure that together we will break the impasse in the Transnistrian conflict settlement,” Dodon wrote in his social network account.

Right after his inauguration, Dodon who was elected on November 13 intends to visit Tiraspol. According to him, this should be done before his first official visit to Moscow. Meanwhile, he stressed he remained devoted to his previous position: “Moldova is a single country, Transnistria has been and still is its part.”