CHISINAU, February 20. /TASS/. Transnistria will preserve its independence despite the growing political and economic pressure from Moldova, Transnistrian leader Vadim Krasnoselsky said.
"The guarantee of our security is our independence. Only our security, only our people, only the Transnistrian people and armed forces. We have always been under economic and political pressure. In recent years and months, this pressure has only been getting worse due to various reasons. We must hold on for dear life in such an environment. And what is most important, we must think about our law enforcement activity, about defense and security," he said at a meeting of the defense ministry’s board.
"Moldova has never been a friend to Transnistria," he stressed.
Moldovan Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu said earlier that the country’s authorities were discussing with the EU and US partners a plan for the Transnistrian settlement. However, he did not disclose any details of the plan. Moldovan President Maia Sandu did not rule out that the country could join the European Union without Transnistria. According to Sandu, the conflict can be settled with the country’s accession to the EU. Meanwhile, Krasnoselsky insists that by blocking settlement talks, Chisinau is seeking to augment pressure on the unrecognized republic with the aim of stifling it.
Talks on the Transnistrian settlement in the 5+2 format (Moldova, Transnistria, the OSCE, Russia, Ukraine and observers from the United States and the European Union) have been frozen since 2019. The Transnistrian leader has been calling on the Moldovan leadership tp resume the talks, but after taking presidential office in 2020, Sandu refused to meet with Krasnoselsky.