We want to be heard

At the plenary session September 6, opening the autumn session of the Supreme Council, the President Vadim Krasnoselsky came forward with an international initiative. The head of the republic suggested that the people's representatives officially address the United Nations with a request to grant Pridnestrovie the status of an observer in the most authoritative international organization. At today's meeting of the parliamentary commission on foreign policy and international relations, its members considered the content of the draft of this document. The Foreign Minister Vitaly Ignatiev was invited to the conversation for joint discussion.

The Foreign Minister outlined the current state of the negotiation process, noting that the efforts made by Pridnestrovie and Russia to unblock it do not lead to results.

Galina Antufeeva, the Chairman of the deputy commission, vice-speaker of the parliament, also supposes that in the conditions when the negotiations differ in extremely low efficiency, it is necessary to look for new platforms and methods for solving Pridnestrovian concerns.

As part of the discussion of the text of the appeal to the UN, members of the parliamentary commission on foreign policy and international relations pointed to the precedents in international practice of holding the unrecognized states the status of an observer country in the United Nations, in particular Palestine. Along with this, the people's representatives proposed the introduction of certain corrections in the text of the appeal to the UN.

It is also possible that the Supreme Council in due course will prepare an appeal to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. It is expected to inform European parliamentarians about the facts of violations by Moldovan law enforcement agencies of the legitimate rights and interests of Pridnestrovians, including freedom of movement. The reason for this was an unprecedented case when, at the very beginning of September, the official representative of the Supreme Council in Russia, Olga Gukalenko, a citizen of PMR, permanently living and registered in Pridnestrovie was deported from the international airport of Chisinau.

Co-chairman of the Joint Control Commission from Pridnestrovie, deputy of the Supreme Council Oleg Belyakov informed colleagues about the parliamentary commission about what difficulties the JCC faces, what threats the peacekeeping operation is under. It is known that Moldova has already asked the United Nations to include in the agenda of the regular session of the General Assembly of this organization the issue of the withdrawal of the Russian military. Pridnestrovie intends to voice its non-admission to this scenario in this international organization, since the Russian military is the guarantor of peace and security on the banks of the Dniester, and the 25-year-old peacekeeping operation is one of the most effective.

At the conclusion of the meeting of the commission Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Council Galina Antufeeva informed her colleagues about the visit of the government-parliamentary delegation to Moscow and about issues discussed with Russian counterparts concerning the simplification of the procedure for receiving Russian citizenship, the use of "mother capital", medical certificates on the territory of the republic, and support for Pridnestrovian education system.