As Moldova aligns with NATO, Transdniester fears new attacks

In Kosovo, NATO troops help make independence become a reality. But in Transdniester, their role would be the exact opposite

CHISINAU (Tiraspol Times) - In what many in Transdniester interpret as Moldovan war preparations, the Republic of Moldova has aligned itself with NATO and welcomed a permanent NATO center in Chisinau, its capital city. Technically illegal under Moldova's constitutional neutrality, the regime led by Communist Party president Vladimir Voronin is convinced that NATO- and EU expansion will help the country enforce its territorial claim over Transdniester and bring the territory under Moldovan control, by use of force if necessary.

Moldova's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration has announced the opening of the NATO center in conjunction with an international conference entitled “NATO: An Alliance of Values and Solidarity” which opened in Chisinau this Tuesday, 2 October.
The event is timed to coincide with the opening ceremony of the country's new permanent NATO center in Moldova's capital on Wednesday, 3 October.

Both functions are in the context of the country’s implementing an individual plan of action under the Moldova-NATO partnership program.
The new NATO center is paid for with a combination of American and Romanian funds. The Romanian Foreign Ministry contributed about 70,000 euros to the Center’s renovation and equipment. The American contribution has not yet been publicly disclosed.

Offensive warfare

Moldova, whose Constitution defines it as a neutral country, cooperates with NATO under the so-called Partnership for Peace program. The program has been described by former Ronald Reagan aide Dough Bandow as a precursor for NATO expansion, and there are clear signs that Moldova is now positioning itself for both European Union and NATO membership.

The Cold War military alliance held large-scale exercises in Moldova both this year and last year, under names such as Lancer-Longbow and Medceur, which were paid for in their entirety by the United States. American money is also helping to upgrade Moldova's military to NATO standards, and earlier this year the Moldovan parliament waived all visa requirements for foreign soldiers with the exception of Russians, which are not allowed entry to the country without a visa.

NATO is currently involved in Kosovo where its troops provide defensive cover for Muslim Albanian leaders as they prepare to declare independence. In Transdniester, however, analysts say that NATO's role with be reversed: Instead of helping to promote freedom and independence, it would use force to bring Transdniester under Moldovan control against the will of the inhabitants.

In 1999, NATO led a war against Yugoslavia which transformed the previously defensive alliance into a tool of offensive war, violating its basic purpose. Since then, NATO troops have engaged in other offensive warfare, including in Afghanistan, where a majority of the population now oppose the NATO presence.

Security balance at risk

Transdniester is currently at peace and its population just wants everything to stay that way.

NATO's increased involvement in Moldova is shifting the fragile security balance in the region, and that heightens the risk of war, say some in Tiraspol, the capital of Transdniester.

" - Moldova lost the last war, when they invaded us and found out that they couldn't subdue us by force. Our wish for independence was so strong that they were no match for us. So now they want to repeat the adventure, only this time they want someone else to fight their war for them," says Alex Kirov, a veteran of the 1992 struggle for independence.

" - By getting NATO and Moldova tangled up together, Moldova will become bold and stupid again," he says. "We don't think that is a good idea. There is peace now here in Transdniester, we live in peace, and we just want peace in the future, too. There is no good reason to risk that by making changes that will upset the calm and the peace that we all have today."

Irrelevant "regional squabbles"

Despite Moldova's wish for NATO support, not everyone in the West are prepared to send troops to the Dniester, noting that Moldova is a country which holds no vital interest that warrants guaranteeing its borders or enforcing its territorial claims. Although Moldova is now on the NATO wish list, it is part of a region with no serious link to U.S. security and no strategic role for Western Europe.

" - And if Moldova thinks that they can force Moldova and Transdniestria together as a result of NATO military action, they are smoking something," says commentator Michael Garner, who has written extensively on the issue for several publications.

" - Why should Americans patrol the border between Moldova and Transdniester, which is only of peripheral interest to Europe and of no concern to the U.S.?" he asks.

" - There is very little support among Moldovans and Transdniestrians for creating a common state within the borders of the wholly artificial Moldavian SSR that Stalin invented," he notes. "And it is an utopian goal of no practical value to America or even Europe. It is not even worth risking a single bullet for."

Bandow agrees, and warns that "expanding NATO has increased U.S. defense responsibilities in a region with little impact on American security. Continuing expansion may draw Washington into irrelevant regional squabbles, while needlessly exacerbating already potent nationalistic sentiments in Russia."

See also:
» Moldova "bogus neutrality" draws fire from Transnistria
» NATO war training in Moldova draws protests from locals
» Moldova and USA confirm closer military ties

Opinion and commentary:
» How many American kids will die for Transdniestria?