Transniester again under the spotlight

Transniester is a separatist region of the ex-Soviet republic of Moldova, with a majority Romanian-speaking population, where Russia still maintains its peace-keeping forces. Civil conflict broke out in 1990.

Shortly after, Transniester declared its independence, and things have developed at a particularly slow pace, even after EU and US observers were invited to take part in negotiations. The EU has lately begun to show more interest in the issue.

The meeting of French president Nicolas Sarkozy, Russian president Dmitri Medvedev and German chancellor Angela Merkel in the French city of Deauville was also an occasion for related talks. There is potential for solving the Transniester conflict, but this does not only depend on Russia, it also depends on the stance of the Republic of Moldova, of Romania and of the EU.

This was the view that Russian president Dmitri Medvedev shared at the summit. The Romanian media believe that the statement actually places Romania in line with the states acting as mediators in the Transniester conflict.

Medvedev’s stance has upset Transniester nationals. According to Aleksandr Karaman, vice-president of Transniester between 1991 and 2001, Bucharest’s participation would not be favorable, because, back in the ‘90s, the conflict broke out precisely because of the “Romanian factor”.

Back then, Moldovans living on the other side of the Niester river wanted the union with Romania, while Transniester nationals did not. The talks held in Deauville have divided analysts. Some believe this was a mere diplomatic dialog with no prospect of solutions, since it is accepted that there are no easy solutions to the Transniester conflict.

Others think that the parties involved have reached a definitive solution to the conflict, but that this has yet to be made public, because overnight changes would be hard to swallow.