Transdnestr analyst: Russian leadership will not be able to ignore outcomes of Transdnestr referendum

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“Despite the fact that every country follows certain game rules in its foreign policy, the Russian leadership will not be able to ignore outcomes of the Transdnestr referendum,” senior expert at Transdnestr Branch of Russian National Strategy Council, political analyst Vladimir Bukarsky stated in an interview to REGNUM.

“Despite the presence of a rather influential Euro-Atlantic lobby in Kremlin, the consensus in Russia is to recognize Transdnestr and to admit it into the federation. First of all, it is the Russia’s civil society represented at the Russian State Duma – supreme legislative authority. It is exactly the civil society that may press Kremlin, appealing to recognize independence of the Transdnestr Moldavian Republic. From my point of view, the recent statement of the United Russia Party general council member Vladimir Medinsky is evident of it. Speaking to the Transdnestr community, he said: ‘qualified majority of voters,’ or 2/3 of those included in voters’ lists should positively respond to the referendum’s question so that Russia could recognize outcomes of the Transdnestr referendum. Transdnestr residents, so to speak, exceeded the target – more than 76% of citizens with voter rights voted for a common future with Russia. Now it is Russia’s turn to say her word,” Bukarsky concluded.

To remind, the referendum was conducted on Sep 17 in Transdnestr. The following questions were put to it:

“1. Do you support a policy for independence of the Transdnestr Moldavian Republic and Transdnestr’s further free joining the Russian Federation?

2. Do you think it is possible to abandon independence of the Transdnestr Moldavian Republic with further Transdnestr’s joining the Republic of Moldova?”