Moldova is discussing the details of the authorities' alleged plan to reintegrate the Transnistrian region by 2038, following the example of Germany, according to an article published by the Spanish newspaper El Pais.
The full text of the article under discussion is available by subscription, but its details were retold by Moldovan and Romanian media, including Newsmaker, according to Evropeiska Pravda.
According to the Spanish newspaper, the plan was allegedly prepared by a consulting agency at the request of the official Chisinau, and until now, nothing was known about the existence of this plan in Moldova.
The article states that Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has indirectly created unique conditions that the Moldovan authorities plan to use to restore the economic and political reintegration of Transnistria. And the Moldovan authorities allegedly expect to regain full control over security and public order in the Transnistrian region by 2038.
The reintegration plan is supposed to end with a referendum and the withdrawal of Russian troops, and according to the plan, Tiraspol is supposed to demand their withdrawal.
Already this year, Chisinau will allegedly try to negotiate with Transnistria to train judges, prosecutors, and lawyers for the region. And then Chisinau will allegedly provide Transnistrian residents with temporary compensation for the price of gas, which Moscow currently supplies free of charge.
The consulting company recommends that Chisinau prepare to provide assistance to the region when Russian gas subsidies stop.
In two years, the article says, a census will be conducted in the region under the auspices of the Moldovan authorities, and in 2027 Chisinau and Tiraspol may start organizing a referendum. All this will take place in parallel with the process of liquidation of ammunition depots and the withdrawal of the Russian military. An international mission is to be deployed in Transnistria to replace the so-called “Russian peacekeepers.”
From 2028 to 2031, according to the roadmap, the parties will consider abolishing the Transnistrian ruble and introducing the national currency, the Moldovan leu, as well as financial unification of institutions.
They will also implement a program of assistance to small and medium-sized businesses, finance regional institutions from the budget, and reform the pension system, which will establish a minimum pension on both sides of the Dniester.
Author - Dmitriy Levchenko, 31/07/2024