The PMR has called the commentary of the representative of the so-called “Reintegration” Bureau, who threatened Transnistria with legal consequences over the raising of the PMR official flag and the performance of its anthem, inadequate.
The official commentary from Transnistria’s Foreign Ministry, published on the agency’s Telegram channel, contains direct quotes in which the foreign policy body calls Chișinău’s statements inadequate:
“We have taken note of the inadequate comments by the office of Moldova’s political representative regarding the ceremonial raising of the State Flag and the performance of the State Anthem of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic in educational institutions.”
The PMR Foreign Ministry emphasized that such a practice is a universally accepted international norm:
“The practice of ceremonially raising the flag and performing the anthem is a universally accepted norm in all civilized countries of the modern world, including the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic.”
At the same time, the Transnistrian foreign policy body noted that the multinational Transnistrian people do not need Chișinău’s permission to honor their statehood, traditions, and history. The threats from the Moldovan side about “legal consequences” are regarded in Tiraspol as inadmissible pressure. The PMR Foreign Ministry commentary states:
“We regard the RM’s rhetoric about so-called ‘legal consequences’ as a threat and an attempt to pressure the administrations of educational organizations, teachers, and students, which is inadmissible.”
The Transnistrian Foreign Ministry also warns against any attempts to interfere in the activities of educational institutions of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic.
In response to Chișinău’s accusations, the PMR’s foreign policy body went on the counteroffensive and stated that it is Moldova that should think about legal consequences, given that its educational programs and school textbooks cultivate a rehabilitative image of convicted war criminal Ion Antonescu and his acolytes, while obscuring the scale of the Holocaust tragedy. In the PMR Foreign Ministry’s view, such actions by Moldova directly violate international law, including the Nuremberg Principles, the UN Convention on the Prevention of the Crime of Genocide, and UN General Assembly Resolution 76/250.
In conclusion, Transnistria’s Foreign Ministry strongly recommended that the Moldovan side cease its experiments on schoolchildren, remove the history textbooks for grades 9 and 12 from its educational system, and undertake extensive work to foster respect for its own country and its own history.
It should be recalled that the decision to begin the school week in Transnistrian schools starting September 1 with the raising of the PMR flag accompanied by the national anthem was earlier made public by the PMR Ministry of Education. Moldova’s Reintegration Bureau threatened “legal consequences,” stating that the ceremony is “illegal” because it concerns “violation of the constitution, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Moldova.”
