Transnistrian leader Vadim Krasnoselsky criticized Moldova’s approach to the region, saying that Moldova was treating Transnistria with hostility. Krasnoselsky made the remarks to journalists in Tiraspol on September 20.
Arguing that the people of Transnistria had shown no aggression, Krasnoselsky said he did not understand Moldova’s approach. He said the war of the past was over and that the region was not generating aggression.
Call on elections and citizenship
Krasnoselsky said Transnistria’s residents voted in elections and referendums not to set records for turnout, but to decide on matters concerning their lives in the territory where they live. He claimed that this was causing discomfort in Moldova.
The Transnistrian leader called on Moldova not to interfere with the region’s people expressing their views in referendums or obtaining citizenship. He said Transnistria did not prevent people who wanted to obtain Moldovan citizenship from doing so.
Krasnoselsky claimed that Moldova also reacted negatively to residents of the region participating in Russia’s State Duma elections and obtaining Russian citizenship, and called on the parties to reassess their positions.
Polling stations and population figures in Transnistria
Seventeen polling stations were established in Transnistria so that residents could vote in Russia’s State Duma elections. About 455,700 people live in the region, and official figures show that approximately 220,000 residents hold Russian citizenship.
Russians and Ukrainians account for 60 percent of Transnistria’s population. The region sought to break away from Moldova in the final years of the Soviet Union.
The request was driven by concerns that nationalist movements in Moldova could lead to the country joining Romania. After Chisinau’s failed attempt to resolve the issue by force in 1992, Transnistria became a de facto independent region from Moldova.
