The self-proclaimed authorities of Transnistria are preparing a so-called congress of deputies of all levels and ranks on February 28, at which they plan to adopt an appeal to Putin. It is not officially announced which document will be adopted, but Transnistrian top politicians do not hide that the congress will discuss the desire to join Russia, writes Moldova Liberă.
"It makes no sense to hold another referendum, but it is appropriate to confirm the previous decision... Transnistria determined the vector (unification) with Russia and the Eurasian Union back in 2006. The congress of deputies of all levels will most likely confirm our intentions," explained the deputy of Transnistriaʼs "parliament" Vadym Kravchuk.
The representative of the Transnistrian opposition, Gennadiy Chorba, drew attention to the coincidence: the congress, where an appeal to Russia will be announced in one form or another, will be held a day before Putin addresses the Russian parliament.
Chorba says that the congress "must voice a request on behalf of citizens living on the left bank of the Dniester to accept Transnistria into the Russian Federation, and on February 29, Putin will announce this in his address. And the Federal Assembly will quickly decide to grant this request."
The Bureau of Reintegration of Moldova stated that it is closely monitoring the situation in unrecognized Transnistria. They emphasized that they are in constant contact with the OSCE Mission and other international partners against the background of information about possible accession to Russia. At the same time, the Chisinau authorities say that "there is no reason to believe that the situation in the region can worsen."
"We are convinced that Tiraspol is aware of the consequences that it takes upon itself in case of unreasonable steps," the department concludes.
- Transnistria is an administrative unit within Moldova that has the status of autonomy. In 1990, PMR declared sovereignty over this territory. In connection with this, an armed conflict began between Moldova and the self-proclaimed republic. In the summer of 1992, hostilities ended. In the mid-1990s, a contingent of Russian peacekeeping forces was sent to Transnistria. The political conflict has not yet been settled. The world community does not recognize the independence of Transnistria. In 2022, after the start of a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe recognized Transnistria as Russian-occupied territory.