Tension at the Moldovan border with Transnistria. And in the background a showdown Moscow-Brussels?

(BRUXELLES2) Transnistria - a breakaway republic from Moldova and self-proclaimed independent since the early 1990s - rarely makes the front page of our media. But the conflict is far from settled. And as the summit on the Eastern Partnership approaches, which should see the EU get closer to Moldova and Ukraine, tensions are rising again.

More than 20 years without a solution

“Two decades of unresolved conflicts have led to the continuous deterioration of living conditions in the affected areas, and only a negotiated solution, in a peaceful way, open to the future, respecting the fundamental rights of all citizens residing inside internationally recognized borders of the Republic of Moldova, will be able to provide a viable solution conducive to lasting peace and prosperity on the Dniester » has thus just recalled the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs, C. Ashton, on Friday (21 June). And add " I urge both parties to the conflict to work in a constructive spirit, within the framework of the “5+2” negotiation process, towards a peaceful settlement”. The European Union is also resolutely “committed to supporting the settlement process, in the interest and for the benefit of the people on the ground, through dialogue with all parties concerned. » et "support"  statement made recently by the Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara, son the decision of the Transnistrian authorities concerning "the de facto borders ».

A tension that is not foreign to the EU-Moldova agreements

The hope of a settlement of the question is yo-yoing. After encouraging signs at the start of the year, the tension has risen a notch for several weeks. The Transnistrian authorities have, in fact, undertaken, on June 10, to redraw the borders including in the territory of the self-proclaimed republic villages which previously depended on Moldova. Ukraine had set taking the OSCE chairmanship of Transnistria as one of its priorities. But Moscow - which maintains a military "interposition" force on the territory of Transnistria - and Tiraspol seem to have decided otherwise. Already in April, the installation of new sentry boxes in a "border" village in Varnita had caused a stir in Chisinau, the capital of Moldova. A tension that does not seem unrelated to the signing of agreements on the free movement of visas and to the European desire to strengthen its Eastern partnership. Moldova has, in fact, modernized its border points within the framework of the agreement with the European Union. This was felt by the Russian-speaking populations of the region as a new discrimination.

A Moscow-Brussels showdown

Transnistria seems to be an episode of the showdown between Brussels and Moscow. By establishing an "eastern partnership" and developed cooperation with several countries on the Russian border, the European Union is thwarting similar projects designed in Moscow to prevent its former zone of influence from being eaten away by the West.