Press review // Tiraspol's refusal to meet with the authorities in Chisinau - an indication from Moscow
The media institutions in the Republic of Moldova are following the evolution of the energy situation on the left bank of the Nistru, while also reflecting the difficulties that the authorities in Chisinau are facing in establishing a dialogue with the separatist leadership in the Transnistrian region.
The transnistrian region rejects the solution of Ukraine and Moldova for the energy crisis, headlines Veridica, presenting a weekly summary of the most discussed topic in the national media. The relationship between Chisinau and Tiraspol has reached an extremely tense level, writes the article's author. "A serious distortion of reality," headlines TV8, quoting Igor Zaharov, the spokesperson for President Maia Sandu. According to him, the self-proclaimed authorities in Tiraspol are manipulating public opinion, accusing Chisinau of opposing gas delivery to the Transnistrian region by a Moldovan company licensed to transport and deliver gas. The representative of the presidency reiterated that the constitutional authorities have never opposed deliveries under the existing legal conditions, TV8 informs.
Moldovagaz interim president Vadim Ceban told TVR Moldova that Moldovagaz is the only company that has the legal right, under an agreement signed with Gazprom, to deliver natural gas to the localities on the left bank of the Nistru. Some energy experts from Chisinau suggest that Moscow artificially created this crisis on both banks of the Nistru to destabilize the Republic of Moldova and put pressure on the Ukrainian authorities, TVR Moldova informs. Sergiu Tofilat, an energy expert, said, “Putin’s goal is to seize the Republic of Moldova, and the Transnistrian region is included in the package. In the short term, the Kremlin's goal is to put pressure on Kiev, creating this artificial crisis on the left bank of the Nistru, so that Russia can continue to transit gas through Ukraine, and have money to finance its war”, explains Sergiu Tofilat.
Tiraspol's refusal to meet with the authorities in Chisinau is an indication from Moscow, claim experts quoted by Radio Chisinau. This action is intended to destabilize the situation in the Republic of Moldova, instead of ensuring the well-being of the population on the left bank of the Nistru, say experts. Although Chisinau assumes its responsibilities and guarantees the inviolability of the so-called foreign minister of the Transnistrian region, Vitalii Ignatiev, he refuses to respect the agreements established, insisting that all meetings take place in Bender, which led to the cancellation of the meeting. Chisinau cannot accept every "whim" of Tiraspol, which is why the meeting did not take place, believes security expert Ion Leahu.
Russia's objective is to exercise political blackmail over the Republic of Moldova, using as a tool the delivery of natural gas and maintaining under control the Moldovan citizens on the left bank of the Nistru, who are "held hostage," claims former Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration Alexandru Flenchea, quoted by Radio Chisinau. "Vitali Ignatiev and by extension Vadim Krasnoselski, who is increasingly apparently Vitalii Ignatiev's subordinate, are alien to the objective interests of our citizens living on the left bank of the Nistru. They are playing exactly Russia's game, a game in which our country is targeted, both the left and right banks. Even the examination of issues related to providing assistance and aid to the citizens of the Republic of Moldova living on the left bank of the Nistru, through some purely political preconditions, is not only cynical, but it shows what the real stakes are and what the scenario is”, said Alexandru Flenchea, in an interview with Radio Chisinau.
Why should we “fear” the Russians even when they bring gifts? – headlines Free Europe. Vadim Krasnoselski, as president of the separatist region, claims that he returned from Moscow not only by plane, but also on a white horse, assuring that gas deliveries, as humanitarian aid as always, exclusively for the region and without electricity price benefits for the right bank of the Nistru, will be resumed soon. Meanwhile – coincidence? – a company on the right bank of the Nistru says that it has bargained to sell gas purchased on the market to Tiraspol, to the bewilderment of many, including the SIS... Free Europe writes. Prime Minister Dorin Recean claims that the possible resumption of gas supplies - as a gift - to the transnistrian region confirms that Moscow wants to bring pro-Russian groups to power in Chisinau. The former Socialist presidential candidate, Alexandr Stoianoglo, has repeatedly announced his return to politics. He describes himself as a kind of founder of a citizens' movement that would replace the current government, writes the author.
Parliamentary elections and the perspective of returning to the betrayed values of the Declaration of Independence, headlines Deschide.md, which publishes an article signed by historian Anatol Țăranu. Even after independence, Russia maintained a significant influence on the Republic of Moldova, especially through the presence of its troops in the Transnistrian region, through economic dependence on Russian gas and support for some pro-Russian political parties, the columnist writes. According to Anatol Țăranu, this influence prevented the Republic of Moldova from developing a coherent path towards restoring national unity through Romanian integration, and later substantially slowed down the path towards European integration. Russia's influence dramatically marked the national security of the Republic of Moldova. A burden that increasingly weighed on the Republic of Moldova is the absence of a system of security guarantees in the conditions when Russia militarily attacked neighbouring Ukraine, writes Anatol Țăranu. The creation of an efficient system of security guarantees, which would protect the Republic of Moldova from external threats, can only be provided by NATO. But the preservation of mental stereotypes that have not been overcome since the Soviet period, as well as the strong influence of the Russian media and influence networks on Moldovan society, make the NATO solution unacceptable to the majority of Moldovan citizens. Russian propaganda easily penetrates Moldovan public opinion by promoting narratives aimed at dividing society, including themes such as "the danger of unification with Romania" or "economic collapse" in the event of rapprochement with the EU, informs Anatol Țăranu.
