Transnistria, also known as the Pridnestrovskaya Moldavskaya Respublika (PMR), is a republic unrecognized by any government in the world. Lying on a narrow swath of land along the left bank of the Dniester River, the territory's leaders call it a republic. Transnistria has been declaring itself independent since 1990, and is an example of a post-Soviet breakaway republic much like Georgia's Abkhazia and South Ossetia. To begin to examine why Transnistria wants to break away from Moldova, one must thoroughly examine its history alongside Moldova's, its cultural and ethnic differences, and its current political and economic situation. Only after the facts have been given and both sides opinions heard can a solution be found.
[...] From a purely physical perspective, there is no reason why Transnistria could not be an independent state. Its area of 4,163 square kilometers puts it between Trinidad and Tobago (5,130 sq km) and Cape Verde (4,033 sq or 172nd out of 232 on the 2007 list of countries and outlying territories by area from the United Nations. Population-wise, the 2005 estimate of 555,000 inhabitants puts Transnistria between Montenegro (620,145) and Cape Verde (507,000) once again according to the UN. Geographically, Transnistria is a narrow valley interrupting Moldova's hills. [...]
[...] Additionally, the BHHRG says that the next largest nationality involved with the human sex trade is Ukrainian. Transnistrian news broadcasting aimed at the West must be eyed cautiously, for while it is freeing for an independent state to have a voice to the world, it isn't very believable that the narrow swath of land stands clear of the human rights abuses surrounding it on either side. In fact, Transnistria seems to be aiming for an appeal to young Western hipsters through stylized English-language blogs and travel websites with unknown origins. [...]
[...] The only solution for the debate is that true diplomatic action either for the independence of Transnistria or for its reunification with Moldova must start immediately, because a frozen conflict will only mean the demise of both states into further poverty and underground crime. Appendix Current Transnistrian Flag The Transnistrian territory (source: Available all over Internet, covered under GNU Free Documentation License, original source unknown) Ethnic Map of Transnistria from 2005, courtesy of Transnistrian official site ( http://tdsu.idknet.com/region/english/atlas/dir22/chisl_k.jpg ) Last accessed May 16th Title of site cannot be translated. [...]
[...] The conflict left over 1,000 dead, and an estimated 100,000 refugees. Most importantly, the violence did nothing about the bigger debate, and the issue of independence versus reunification remains in frozen conflict. Though Russia removed some of its arms in 2001, munitions and soldiers remain in Transnistria, heavily bothering Moldova. In 2004, Moldova's Minister of Foreign Affairs stated presence of Russian troops on the territory of the Republic of Moldova is against the political will of Moldovan constitutional authorities and defies the unanimously recognized international norms and principles, being qualified by Moldovan authorities as a foreign military occupation illegally deployed on the territory of the state.” The US and EU have tended to side with Moldova throughout the debate. [...]
[...] A Google search for the International Council for Democratic Institutions and State Sovereignty, the institution that supposedly runs pridnestrovie.net, turns up angry opinion sites mentioning how both the icdiss.org and pridnestrovie.net sites share the same IP address. In fact, someone attempted to make the ICDISS a Wikipedia page, but Wikipedia revoked the page for its false pretenses. VisitPMR.com skillfully hides all hammer-and-sickle logos, and its sleek design shows the presumably Western viewer photos of stunning beautiful Transnistrian blondes and “tourist accounts” of the region as “like the French Rivera”. [...]
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