Open letter to the President of Moldova

The city and district Councils of People's Deputies of Pridnestrovie chairmen sent an open letter to the President of the Republic of Moldova Maia Sandu.

We publish below the full text of the appeal.

Dear Madam President!

The city and district Councils of People's Deputies of Pridnestrovie urge you to pay attention to the dangerous situation emerging in Moldovan-Pridnestrovian relations as a result of the actions of the Republic of Moldova.

We are extremely concerned about the Moldovan leadership’s choice of a strategy of destructive actions towards the Pridnestrovian people, which is increasingly discriminatory in nature every month and causes an increasing scale of violations of the rights and freedoms of all residents of Pridnestrovie, destroying the humanitarian agreements developed over many years in the international negotiation process.

We see at the same time that the authorities of the Republic of Moldova do not want to communicate with Pridnestrovie, are deaf to calls to solve the accumulating problems through dialogue in the interests of our citizens. Blockade measures are being tightened instead: banking and financial restrictions in the form of a ban on servicing and opening accounts of Pridnestrovian enterprises and preventing their international payments, creating difficulties with the import of essential goods (food, medicine, vaccines, etc.).

Madam President!

We draw your attention to the fundamentally important fact that after the armed aggression of Moldova against the peaceful people of Pridnestrovie, our states have been in a state of unresolved conflict for more than thirty years, which is generally recognized by the world community. Peace and security have been successfully ensured for 31 years by the trilateral international peacekeeping operation on the Dniester in order to prevent escalation. The international negotiation format of the “Permanent Conference...”, known as the “5+2” format, has been in force to resolve the conflict for more than twenty years. It is possible and necessary because of this obvious circumstance to discuss and agree on mutually acceptable solutions exclusively at the negotiating table between the leadership of Pridnestrovie and Moldova, authorized political representatives or at other levels of the legitimate international “5+2” format – only this way – through peaceful direct political dialogue, excluding pressure on either side.

One of the parties cannot impose its destructive decisions, jeopardize the negotiation process, or violate the rights and interests of people. It shouldn't be this way. Otherwise, this is not dialogue, but dictatorship and pushing for escalation and aggravation of the conflict.

We regard the decision of the leadership of the Republic of Moldova to introduce customs duties for Pridnestrovian economic agents from January 1, 2024 as a sign of weakness, refusal of direct and honest dialogue at the negotiating table, a signal that neighboring Moldova is going to further strengthen its hostile policy towards the citizens of Pridnestrovie. The demand for double payment of customs duties to the Moldovan budget is illegitimate from any point of view. This decision was made in complete disregard of the international negotiation process, in an underhand way, behind the back, and it is difficult to define it other than as a cynical act of theft from the entire Pridnestrovian people, who will be forced to pay new levies in favor of Moldova through higher prices.

The city and district Councils of People's Deputies of Pridnestrovie consider it extremely dangerous for the authorities of neighboring Moldova to unleash an economic war in our already conflict-ridden regional space. Undermining the economy of Pridnestrovie, deliberately provoking crisis processes – inflation, closure of enterprises, rising unemployment, deficit and impoverishment of the population – is an inhumane, destructive course, from which ordinary people suffer first of all: pensioners, public sector workers and entrepreneurs, their families and children.

There can be no justification for these pressure measures, since they deliberately turn Pridnestrovie into a blockade zone and worsen the socio-economic situation of all our citizens.

We consider it absurd that the political elite of the Republic of Moldova, which strives to make Moldova part of the European Union, where there is an unshakable priority of human and civil rights, does not hesitate to massively violate the rights of the population of Pridnestrovie. Such approaches are incompatible not only with European, but also with universal human values and principles.

Madam President!

We urge you personally as an official, as well as other authorities of the Republic of Moldova, to come to your senses, stop mocking people, human rights and European principles, and abandon the suicidal course of inciting conflict.

Ms. Sandu, we ask you personally to take immediate measures to restore constructive approaches in Moldovan-Pridnestrovian relations, based on the peaceful resolution of all problems exclusively at the negotiating table, based on the main priority – the rights and interests of the people protection.