Serebrian: Reintegration of the Pridnestrovian Region into the Republic of Moldova Is Getting Closer

The reintegration of the Pridnestrovian region into the Republic of Moldova is getting closer. Oleg Serebrian, Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration, stated this during the Dialog Deschis show. According to him, over the past 16 months, the residents of the left bank of the Dniester, from a socio-economic point of view, have already become much closer to the right bank and the European Union. “Tiraspol is losing the battle for the hearts of its citizens. Many people from the left bank of Dniester River are in line to get the citizenship of the Republic of Moldova, to register their businesses here in the Republic of Moldova. We see a considerable business interest to cooperate with the Moldovan authorities and to further work with the EU and the European market. 70% of their exports go to the EU. Thus, business has become one of the main allies and a significant factor in the reintegration process,” Serebrian said. He also pointed out that people from the left bank cross the river to get education or medical care. “Go into medical institutions in Varnita or Cocieri and you will see that probably half of the patients are from the left bank of the Dniester. It proves the quality of the provided medical services and the fact that people from the left bank no longer trust the medical system of the separatist region,” the deputy prime minister said. According to him, many Pridnestrovians also work in the Republic of Moldova. “This number keeps growing because the salaries here are many times higher than on the left bank. For instance, every morning a third of the employees cross the Ribnita bridge to the Rezina district hospital. A kind of merger in the Security Zone that had not existed before, took place. It is a process of visible integration, because 90% of the residents of the left bank have the Moldovan passport, most of the enterprises have received a license and operate in accordance with the regulations of the Republic of Moldova,” Serebrian noted. He stressed that all these factors help to accelerate the invisible reintegration, which happens regardless of the political will. “Whether Tiraspol wants it or not, it can no longer prevent people from moving in the right direction, i.e. towards reintegration. The residents begin to understand that in the current conditions the Pridnestrovian region can no longer exist as an island. The world has changed dramatically after February 24, 2022. European integration is an additional factor for reintegration,” the Deputy Prime Minister concluded.