Trans-Dniester & Moldova.

[TsarSamuil]

‘Moldova’s protests as a mirror image of Ukraine crisis’

RT.com
21 Jan, 2016 16:05

Having a pro-EU government is no solution to the fundamental problems facing your economy if you are middle-sized middle European state like Moldova, says independent journalist and commentator Martin Summers.

Anti-government protests took place last night in Moldova’s capital, Chisinau. The demonstrators clashed with riot police when attempting to break into the parliament demanding its dissolution and snap elections. Police used tear gas and batons against the angry crowd.

RT: Political protests have shaken Moldova for months why has the instability lasted this long?

Martin Summers: You had a pro-EU, largely pro-Western government. But they were brought down by financial scandals and the collapse of the banking system, and a big drop in GDP of the country. So, in a way it is almost like a mirror image of what happened in Kiev a couple of years ago where you had a pro-Russian government being pushed out of power by street protest led by pro-EU demonstrators. This is rather the opposite where the pro-EU government - which has become very unpopular due to its corruption - facing street protest led by those who are not so keen on the EU. And the scenes we saw on the TV with riot police battling with the demonstrators - one can only hope that things will resolve in a more civilized fashion in Moldova than they were in Kiev.

RT: Corruption scandals involving top politicians in Moldova emerged amid a difficult economic situation in the country. Did that make public discontent even worse?

MS: I think it did. The economic crisis tends to bring political differences to the fore. In Moldova you’ve still got the Trans-Dniester Republic which is sort of Russian speaking which seceded from the main Moldova state many years ago now which is kind of a frozen conflict. The EU itself is in economic crisis. Countries that have been members of the EU for years are having real difficulties. So, having the pro-EU government is no solution for the fundamental problems facing your economy if you are middle-sized middle European state like Moldova.

RT: The opposition is asking for another parliamentary election and now the President is delaying the official swearing in of the new cabinet. Will this government be able to take power?

MS: I think, what the opposition, which is mainly socialist led in part by a former communist, I suppose, in the Western view, what they want is an election. And I think that is the solution in most situations like this. Just changing the guard at the top without getting the people’s opinion is not terribly sensible. We saw that happening in Kiev a few years ago where the government was changed without an election. And that just led to social polarization and conflict. So, one hopes that what will happen in Moldova is that there will be an orderly election in the not too distant future which can resolve the political direction of the country. But it is very difficult if you’ve got two camps which are at daggers drawn about the direction the country should take. There is no easy solution to that.

RT: Opposition leaders called on their supporters to step back, to avoid bloodshed. Do you expect a further escalation of the protest?

MS: I think the leaders of the protest have got to make it clear that they don’t intend to try and topple the regime – the current government without an election – but since their main demand is for elections, I think, it is the obvious way forward. It doesn’t resolve the economic crisis but what you want to avoid here is a mirror image situation what we’ve seen in Ukraine which led to the bloodshed and conflict -which is not surely in anybody’s interest.

[TsarSamuil]

Foreign Policy Diary - Crisis Zone Moldova.

South Front
Jan 23, 2016



On January 24, 2016 in Moldova is expected another wave of protests against the oligarchic regime. In the video we depict the history and roots of the conflict as well as the current explosive situation in Moldova.

We appeal to all the major powers: the US, EU, Russia and the UN to pay close attention to the lawlessness spreading in the region. We call on to draw attention to the needs of millions of ordinary people, driven to despair by the feudal-oligarchic regime.

[TsarSamuil]

Over 15,000 march for 7 hours in Moldova demanding snap election (VIDEO)

RT.com
24 Jan, 2016 19:53

Protesters in the Moldovan capital of Chisinau have given the authorities until Thursday to disperse the parliament and call snap elections. Thousands braved the cold for another massive rally that lasted for more than seven hours.

Protesters chanted: “Down with the mafia,” “We are the people,” “Snap elections,” and “United we are strong” in Moldovan and Russian, according to TASS. The demonstrators strive to expel pro-European political parties that have been in control of the country since 2009. Instead of the reforms, Moldova is going through unprecedented impoverishment. The country has already been long-considered to be one of the poorest in Europe. The average monthly salary is now just 220 euros ($240).

In particular, protesters demand the investigation of the “theft of the century” – the disappearance of $1.5 billion from three national banks ahead of the parliamentary election of 2014.

The rally was organized by three opposition parties, the right-wing Dignity and Truth (DA) Civil Platform and the leftwing Party of Socialists and Our Party. The organizers said 100,000 participants joined the demonstration while the police estimated the turn-out to stand at just over 15,000.

DA leader Andrey Nastase called on the government to announce by Thursday that it would hold early elections or face acts of civil disobedience.

On January 20, angry demonstrators clashed with police and stormed the parliamentary office shortly after the lawmakers’ vote. At least 31 people, among them 27 police officers, were injured during the outbreak of violence.

The protests started more than a week ago, after Pavel Filip from the Democratic Party was appointed new prime minister and formed his government.

The organizers of the rally called on participants to withhold from violence and inflicting any damage to businesses and government property.

Opposition members brought white chrysanthemum flowers to the rally and handed them over to police officers.

“While we are shaking from the cold, the authorities are shaking with fear,” TASS cites Oazu Nantoi, one of the opposition leaders.

“It's time that we unite, we need to implement changes ourselves, and the commissions from Moscow, Washington or Brussels won't help here,” Nantoi told the crowd.

[TsarSamuil]

Moldova Threatens Transnistria Residents With Deportations.

EUROPE 19:32 27.01.2016

Moldovan border authorities have stepped up pressure on residents of the breakaway Transnistria region, threatening to deport those crossing into its territory, the Transnistrian Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.

TIRASPOL (Sputnik) – Transnistria, a strip of land between Moldova and Ukraine, broke away from the Soviet republic of Moldova in the 1990s. Most of its population are Russian and Ukrainian nationals.
According to Transnistria’s foreign office, border guards have been demanding that Transnistrians with Russian and Ukrainian passports show Moldovan travel documents or residence permits.

The Transnistrian Foreign Ministry claimed that "demands of the Moldovan Republic authorities… are unfounded and exceed the boundaries set by [bilateral] agreements," urging Chisinau to guarantee freedom of movement of its residents.

Moldova and Transnistria signed a protocol in Vienna in 2014 that ruled out sanctions or administrative curbs on people living in the breakaway region.

Transnistria broke away from Moldova over fears that its government could seek reintegration with neighboring Romania, triggering a 1992 military offensive by Moldova which cost Chisinau the left bank of the Dniester River. The region is now seeking international recognition, while Moldova is offering Transnistria autonomy within a unitary state.

[TsarSamuil]

Transdniester parliament rejects reports of questioning Russian peacekeepers’ status.

RT.com
28 Apr, 2016 09:36

The Transdniestrian parliament has approved a statement dismissing as unfounded rumors any allegations that lawmakers were discussing the possibility of removing Russian peacekeepers from the self-proclaimed republic.

“The Supreme Soviet of the Transdniester Moldovan Republic expresses bewilderment and maintains that the reports about alleged initiation of dismantling of the peacekeeping operation, which have been spreading through the Transdniestrian sector of the internet, are obviously destructive and unfounded speculations, possibly of a political character,” reads the document, as quoted by RIA Novosti. The lawmakers also called upon all citizens of the republic not to react to these “provocations.”

The statement also called the Russian peacekeeping contingent in the republic “an unshakeable guarantee of peace, security and stability on the [River] Dniester’s banks… Only maintaining and strengthening of the current peacekeeping format can create conditions for the dialogue between the Transdniester Moldovan Republic and the Republic of Moldova and normalization of bilateral relations,” the document reads.

In addition, the chairman of the Supreme Soviet, Vadim Krasnoselsky, told MPs that he intended to prepare and draft a bill that would introduce criminal responsibility for the denial of the positive role of the Russian peacekeeping force in the settlement of the Moldova-Transdniester conflict. He noted that the attempts to hush the positive role of Russian peacekeepers could lead to resumed military conflict, loss of human live and dismantling of Transdniestrian statehood.

The unrecognized Republic of Transdniester has a population of over 500,000, most of whom are ethnic Russians and Russian-speakers. It came into existence in 1990 because its population did not approve of the nationalist policies of post-Soviet authorities in Moldova and their (yet-unfulfilled) plans to merge with Romania. In 1992, the dispute developed into a full-scale military conflict that has been settled with the help of joint peacekeeping force that still remains in the region. Currently this force is comprised of 402 servicemen from Russia, 492 from Transdniester, 355 from Moldova and also five observers representing Ukraine.

In mid-2014, Russia and Transdniester signed a number of agreements on cooperation in trade, economy, education and culture. This was done as a reply to the Association Agreement between Moldova and the EU that deprived Transdniester of any opportunity to sell its products to European countries.

[TsarSamuil]

V-Day provocation? US-NATO hardware forced out of Moldova’s capital after public outrage.

RT.com
9 May, 2016 05:39

NATO military vehicles with American flags that were put on display in a central square of Chisinau, Moldova’s capital, had to withdraw before Monday’s V-Day march and retreat outside the town after the show-off sparked fierce opposition from the locals.



The exhibition of US military equipment on the city’s Great National Assembly Square on Sunday was presented as part of the V-Day celebrations, but instead provoked hundreds of protesters to take to the streets in outrage.

Activists opposing NATO’s presence in the country waved banners that read “Go home,”“We don’t need NATO,” and “Moldova is a neutral state.”

Protesters also reportedly handed out St. George ribbons, a symbol of victory in post-Soviet states, to the American soldiers before the exhibition, which saw about two dozen infantry, engineering vehicles and military trucks being showcased to the public. However, soon after the protests began, the exhibition was rolled up, and the US troops returned to their stationing site in Negresti, some 20 kilometers outside Chisinau.



The American-NATO troops were supposed to join the V-Day march on May 9 to celebrate the victory over the Nazis and commemorate those fallen in the WWII. Following the ensuing controversy, however, the contingent was allowed only to hold the ill-fated military exhibition ahead of the event.

Igor Dodon, head of the Moldovan Socialist party, branded the invitation of NATO troops to take part in V-Day festivities as a “provocation geared to spoil the Victory celebrations,” TASS reported.

“NATO servicemen have committed another symbolic act of mockery over Orthodox believers, having once again demonstrated their occupational intentions,” he added, according to Sputnik.

Dodon had slammed the exercises earlier as a “military occupation” and called the display of American troops on V-Day a “slap in the face of Constitution, which stipulates neutrality.”

The activists lashed out at the government for what they believe was an attempt to drag Moldova into some kind of a military confrontation, demanding that the government adhere to its neutral status.

“Moldova is a peaceful and neutral state. We take part in no military blocs and don’t want war. We saw what happened in Yugoslavia, Libya, Syria. If you don’t go before tomorrow, there will be thousands of us here,” stressed Vlad Batrîncea, a Moldovan MP from the Party of Socialists, as cited by TASS.

Last week, the country’s president, Nicolae Timofti, also took a stance against the demonstration of US military prowess on May 9, on which the celebrations were scheduled, while confronting Moldovan Defense Minister Anatol Salaru in a letter published on Wednesday.

“A joint display of US and [Moldovan] military hardware may cause negative interpretations and speculations not only in a certain segment of the population but also among Moldova’s partners who have not been invited to participate in the show,” Timofti said.

In the run up to V-day, the Immortal Regiment march was held in Chisinau on May 6. The participants held up pictures of their relatives who fought in WWII as a part of worldwide public action honoring victims of the war and celebrating victory over Nazism. A similar march is set to take place on May 9.

About 200 US soldiers from the 2nd Cavalry Unit have been deployed in Moldova since May 3 to take part in NATO’s Dragon Pioneer 2016 exercises that will last till May 20. They have been joined by 165 Moldavian servicemen. Fifty-eight military vehicles from the US side are expected to take part in the drills. The maneuvers will concentrate on medical treatment and evacuation, field maintenance, and basic demolitions.

NATO’s only purpose is to demonize Russia as a threat’
Srdja Trifkovic, foreign affairs editor at Chronicles magazine, told RT he believes NATO had practical reasons for promoting itself into the center of V-Day celebration in Chisinau.

“It’s perfectly cynical attempt to distort the past for the sake of serving political purposes of the present," he said referring to attempts by the American politicians, including to U.S. President Barack Obama, to portray the US as the key member of the anti-Hitler coalition whose actions were critical to the defeat of Nazi Germany.

Triflovic reminded that “almost 85% percent of German losses in WWII were incurred on the Eastern Front,” the fact which is often looked over by the western media and international public discourse, that play a “pernicious role” while “systematically trying to undermine the image of Russia.”

“It’s an attempt to systematically distort the past and demonize Russia today,” he said.

Speaking about NATO`s ultimate goals and purposes of its existence now, once the cold war ended and the Soviet Union collapsed, he said that “NATO is not idiot at all. NATO has been expanding ever since the promise by James Baker [former U.S. Secretary of State] to Mikhail Gorbachev more than a quarter of century ago that it will not expand.”

The alliance’s “only purpose of existence is to turn Russia into a threat,” he concluded.

[TsarSamuil]

Transnistria: Tiraspol celebrates 10th anniversary of independence.

Ruptly TV
Sep 17, 2016



Citizens of Tiraspol celebrated the 10th anniversary of a referendum in which the people voted against joining the Republic of Moldova and for closer integration to the Russian Federation, in the Transnistrian capital, Saturday.

Chairman of the Central Election Commission, Elena Gorodetski along with Chairman of the Transnistrian Moldovan Republic (TMR) Supreme Council Vadim Krasnoselski unveiled a memorial plaque during the festivities. Gorodetski said that the ten years following the referendum had "demonstrated that it's been the right decision". One celebration attendee said "Russia helps us both financially and morally. It gives the Transnistrians a hope."

[TsarSamuil]

Moldova: Thousands protest Popenko's removal from presidential race.

Ruptly TV
Oct 22, 2016



Thousands of people from across Moldova rallied outside the Supreme Court of Justice in the capital of Chisinau, Saturday, to protest against the exclusion of pro-Russian candidate Inna Popenko from the presidential elections, which are due to take place on October 30.

[TsarSamuil]

Moldova Switches Sides, President Proclaims New Alliance with Moscow (VIDEO)

Moldova's interests 'cannot be protected or promoted outside strategic partnership with the Russian Federation,' says the country's new president

RI
Simon North, Jan 19, 2017

Let's call this Vicky Nuland's slap in the face on her way out the door.

Washington's trans-atlantic empire suffered a blow this week when Moldova's newly elected president, Igor Dodon, announced his country's re-alignment toward Russia in a joint press conference held with Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

What a sad day this must be for the neocons, the transatlanticists, the globalists, the Victoria Nulands and George Soroses of the world. While they can't have spent nearly as much money in Moldova as they did brainwashing and overthrowing Ukraine ($5 billion according to Vicky), they have surely invested a lot in attempting to pull Moldova into Washington's Euro-Atlantic sphere.



Now it's all for naught. It turns out, you can't really erase history, culture, tradition, language, and family ties easily, even with billion-dollar re-education programs. The same will eventually prove true in Ukraine. Those Moldovans who are of Romanian extraction, have seen how poorly Romania has faired in the EU and as a US NATO vassal. Those of Russian heritage never supported to move toward Washington and Brussels in the first place.

Now, finally, they have a president who represents their interests. This is not the kind of democracy the globalists like to see.

[TsarSamuil]

Autumn of discontent? Moldova is next US target for ‘color revolution’, Russia's chief spy warns ahead of presidential election.

RT.com
21 Oct, 2020 09:49

The director of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (the SVR) has accused Washington of preparing the ground for a “color revolution” in Moldova. The East European state is due to hold a presidential election within a fortnight.

Sergey Naryshkin believes that the US regularly interferes in the internal affairs of states friendly with Moscow, and has accused Washington of making “crude attempts to influence the post-election situation” in both Belarus and Kyrgyzstan. The SVR chief thinks that Moldova is the next target on the list.

“Now we clearly see that the Americans are preparing a 'revolutionary' scenario for Moldova,” Naryshkin said. He accused the US of preparing to send a group of American 'color revolution' specialists to Chisinau. “They are not satisfied with the current head of state, Igor Dodon, who maintains constructive relations with CIS [Commonwealth of Independent States] countries, including Russia.”

In addition, according to the SVR, US diplomats are attempting to persuade Moldovan security forces to switch to what they call the “side of the people.”

'Color Revolution' is a term used to describe anti-government movements throughout the world, particularly in the former Eastern Bloc. While it is usually defined in the media as a “non-violent” change of government with mass popular support, 'color revolution' movements have often been tied to Western interests in a particular region, and their opponents tend to paint them as regime change operations.

With the US due to elect a president in November, Naryshkin also pointed to the hypocrisy of Washington, which decries “the unacceptability of any external interference in the internal American election campaign,” but immediately forgets about any right to self-determination when it comes to the White House's interests around the world.

“A concept such as the sovereignty of a foreign state clearly fades into the background. Truly: America First,” he concluded.

Presidential elections in Moldova will be held on November 1. The favorite to win is President Dodon, who has led the country since 2016. His party, the Socialists, is pro-Russian, and he has been friendly with the Kremlin throughout his term. The main opposition to the incumbent is Maia Sandu, a former prime minister and the leader of the liberal and pro-European Party of Action and Solidarity.

[TsarSamuil]

Enemy of Russia or practical president? Moscow experts divided as Western analysts celebrate Sandu’s Moldovan election victory.

RT.com
16 Nov, 2020 10:43

Liberal candidate Maia Sandu has been announced as the winner of Moldova’s presidential election. But while she has been critical of relations with Russia in the past, her country’s foreign policy may not dramatically change.

The former prime minister, who leads the Western leaning Party of Action and Solidarity, beat the incumbent president, Igor Dodon, with close to 58 per cent of the vote in Sunday’s election. Dodon, who had been seen as one of the Kremlin’s closest allies in the region, attracted 42 per cent in the second-round poll. He conceded defeat on Monday morning, saying, “If the courts confirm everything is OK, then we will put a full stop here.” There had previously been fears of unrest after the outcome was announced.

Foreign policy was a key differentiator between the candidates during the campaign, with Sandu, a Harvard-educated former World Bank economist, claiming Dodon’s presidency had seen “relations with the EU and US go from bad to worse.” This was because “Dodon has been trying to establish good relations only with Russia, but even with Russia, he has been using this for his personal interests, not to solve the country’s problems,” she said.

However, some Russian experts have been quick to reject the idea that Sandu’s victory will mean a significant change in Moldova’s approach to its allies. Andrey Suzdaltsev, Deputy Dean of the International Affairs Faculty at Moscow’s prestigious Higher School of Economics, told the RIA Novosti news agency that the Kremlin shouldn’t “be upset about Sandu’s victory in the elections. She is a very practical person and will try to preserve and develop the achievements that Chișinău and Moscow already have.”

He added that “the situation in Moldova is now more or less stable – her political grouping has learned hard lessons from the crises that previously split the country. I think they have (a desire to) preserve stability and a good attitude towards Russia.”

Speaking to RT, Fyodor Lukyanov, Editor-in-chief of the journal Russia in Global Affairs, said that “nothing will change fundamentally in Moldova,” but that it’s “positive that power will change hands calmly and in a civilized way.”

“But, in general,” he added, “the fate of the country is unenviable when the decisive word belongs to those who have left and are unlikely to return.” Voters from Moldova’s diaspora, voting by absentee ballot, overwhelmingly supported Sandu in the first round, giving her around 70 per cent of the overseas vote. For them, Lukyanov explained, “the choice between East and West is literal – where they choose to go and live and earn money.”

For Lukyanov, the outlook for Moldova’s relations with the European Union is far from bright. He argued that the so-called “giants” that dominate foreign policy spheres are “now so absorbed in their own problems that they are much less concerned with peripheral countries and disputes over influence there.”

Not all analysts share that view, with Sergey Markov of the Institute of Political Studies saying on Monday that Sandu is “the political enemy of Russia.” He claimed that, as minister of education, she “spoke in favor of replacing the Russian language with as much English as possible. [And] she always criticized Russia at the earliest opportunity.” Markov also claimed that Sandu supports the “acquisition of Moldova by Romania.”

The two candidates were once coalition partners, after Sandu’s Party of Action and Solidarity agreed to govern with the Socialist Party, which supports Dodon. However, rows over corruption and domestic policy brought the fragile agreement to an end in November last year. Since then, Moldova has struggled with an ailing economy and the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Sandu on her victory on Monday morning. He wrote that he trusted her “activity as head of state will contribute to the constructive development of relations between our countries.” He added that “This would undoubtedly serve the fundamental interests of the peoples of Russia and Moldova.”