Tiraspol carefully selects words about elections in Ukraine
Transnistria is closely following the Ukrainian presidential elections. Some residents of the unrecognized republic took part in the vote on March 31.
At the same time, in Tiraspol, when commenting on the situation in Kyiv, they prefer not to mention the attacks of Ukrainian nationalists with promises to crush the PMR with a blockade as a source of the Russian threat. The Pridnestrovians, sandwiched between Moldova and Bandera’s Ukraine, are trying not to give unnecessary reasons for tightening the blockade. In addition, for some residents of the PMR, who are barred from entering Moldova, Ukrainian territory remains the only “window to the world.”
…Pridnestrovians traditionally voted at two polling stations in Moldova, one of which opened in Chisinau at the Ukrainian embassy, and the other at the consulate in the city of Balti.
Ukraine did not open polling stations directly on the territory of Transnistria. The last time she did this was in the 2004 presidential elections (seven polling stations were created then), and later, after changes were made to the Ukrainian Election Code, Ukrainian citizens living in Transnistria lost the opportunity to exercise their civil rights at their place of residence.
Meanwhile, more than 50 thousand citizens of Ukraine who have the right to vote live in the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic. Almost everyone who has Ukrainian passports and is registered at the embassy in Chisinau are Pridnestrovians.
On March 31, free transport was provided for residents of Transnistria who wished to vote, which took people to polling stations in Chisinau and Balti.
Back in January, the issue of transporting citizens was discussed at a meeting between the President of Transnistria Vadim Krasnoselsky and the leadership of the local Ukrainian community. Then, during a conversation with the head of the Ukrainian Center “Cooperation” Vladimir Fomenko and the chairman of the Union of Ukrainians of Transnistria Pyotr Bogutsky, the leader of the PMR noted that the republic respects the choice of the people and is interested in creating conditions for the free expression of will of Ukrainian citizens living in Transnistria.
Vadim Krasnoselky emphasized that the PMR will build a constructive dialogue with the elected leadership of Ukraine, maintaining and developing good neighborly relations, no matter who becomes the new president of this country.
1 citizens of Ukraine took part in the last elections at polling stations in Chisinau and Balti. According to the website of the Ukrainian Central Election Commission, the majority here – 145% – was won by the leader of the Opposition Bloc, Yuriy Boyko.
Pridnestrovian experts note that presidential elections in Ukraine are always of great importance for the situation in the region.
“For Pridnestrovie, Ukraine is a “window to the world”, a path to international markets, therefore, I am sure that the authorities of the republic are now closely monitoring what is happening in the Ukrainian elections,” Deputy Director of the Institute of Socio-Political Research and Regional Development Andrey told PolitNavigator Mospanov. – The outcome of the elections will answer the question of which political grouping the Pridnestrovian political and business elites will need to negotiate with next.
So far we see a certain balance in relations between Kiev and Tiraspol, achieved following the results of the past year. It is based primarily on foreign economic contacts. The volume of bilateral trade has only been growing over the past two and a half years, and I think that in any case it will be beneficial for Ukraine to maintain this positive trend.”
Mospanov also noted that over the past year the level of tension between Pridnestrovie and Ukraine in the information and political sphere has also decreased.
“For Pridnestrovians, elections are also important because, according to various sources, about 80-100 thousand citizens of Ukraine live in the republic, many of them are ethnic Ukrainians, and voting for them is a way to show their attitude to what is happening in their homeland ", said the expert.
According to another Transnistrian expert, political scientist Andrei Safonov, Transnistria is interested in good relations with Ukraine and its people, regardless of any election results.
“The Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic in relations with other countries proceeds from the following principles: firstly, our country does not interfere in the internal affairs of other states, secondly, the PMR puts its state pragmatic interests in first place. In my personal opinion, these interests in relations with Ukraine are as follows.
First. Ukraine is one of the mediators and guarantors in the negotiation process to resolve the Moldovan-Transnistrian conflict. Transnistria is interested in official Kyiv fulfilling this mission impartially and objectively.
Second. For Transnistria, it is important that the flow of people and goods move smoothly across the Transnistrian-Ukrainian border, and that the Moldovan authorities cannot interfere with this or take control of it all.
Third. Our republic needs the budget-generating Moldavian Metallurgical Plant, located in the north of Transnistria, to operate stably. From this point of view, it is positive that official Kyiv recently lifted the sanctions imposed on the enterprise in 2018 from MMZ. In this case, common sense prevailed.
Objectively, Transnistria for both Russia and Ukraine is a barrier to Romanian expansionism. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Pridnestrovians have seen their reliable rear in Ukraine, especially since over 30% of the population of the PMR are Ukrainians. Regardless of any Ukrainian elections, the PMR is interested in good relations with Ukraine. Well, who will ultimately be elected president of Ukraine is the will of the Ukrainian voter,” Safonov told PolitNavigator.
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