AN UNEXPECTEDLY WELCOMING TRANSNISTRIAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CHISINAU 000951 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 9/23/2018 TAGS: PBTS PGOV EAID RS MD SUBJECT: AN UNEXPECTEDLY WELCOMING TRANSNISTRIAN ¶1. (C) We don't expect broad smiles from Transnistrian (TN) "deputy foreign minister" Sergey Simonenko, who some Chisinau officials claim reports back-channel to Transnistrian Minister for State Security (and all-around bad guy) Vladimir Antiufeyev. But that's what USAID Assistant Administrator Doug Menarchik and new USAID Mission Director Janina Jaruzelski received from Simonenko when they visited him on September ¶18. Usually, Simonenko is the quiet, stern-faced TN official who greets embassy officers, the one who transmits TN "President" Smirnov's asperous decisions without any niceties. ¶2. (C) Simonenko started the conversation unexpectedly, too, with an apology for Smirnov's recent accusation that the West didn't help Transnistria with last year's drought or this year's floods; only Russia had provided assistance. We had sent a letter of protest to Smirnov, explaining that the USG had indeed given modest aid to farmers and to flood-affected families. Simonenko explained that the Transnistrians had meant to direct their accusation to European countries, not the United States, but there had been a misunderstanding, a problem in translation. "Here live people," Simonenko stressed, people who needed help because of difficult economic times. ¶3. (C) In response to questions from our USAID visitors, Simonenko said all the right things. Transnistrians were open to working with any humanitarian-assistance organizations; TN officials did not interpret USG assistance as recognition of an independent Transnistria; the issue of independence was separate from aid to needy people. Transnistrians didn't perceive U.S. assistance as politicized, Simonenko continued, unlike European assistance which generally came conditioned on progress in 5-plus-2 discussions. ¶4. (C) Simonenko listed some TN problems: unemployment, emigration (especially of youth and professionals),low salaries and lack of social protections for the disadvantaged population. He identified efforts to attract foreign investment, support for developing small- and medium-sized businesses, and assistance to the health sector (and thanked the USG for Operation Provide Hope medical-equipment donations) as priority areas for TN. "We're open to the outside world. There's no question that we're not ready to discuss. If the U.S. has recommendations for improving TN's democratic development, tell us. We might not be aware of problems that others see," Simonenko said openly. ¶5. (C) Simonenko's description of TN civil society serves as a good example of the difference in perspective between Transnistrian and American officials. After stating that TN had many NGOs, Simonenko added that the government had even created some institutions of civil society: an ombudsman's office to provide legal assistance to the population, for example. We smiled at the idea of government-created NGOs or governmental mechanisms to transmit the people's concerns to the political leadership. "It's not true that there isn't any democracy in Transnistria," Simonenko stated. "We welcome any NGOs that don't violate TN laws and aren't involved in subversive activities [like] questioning the legitimacy of elected local authorities." Of course, he continued, perhaps sensing that his definition of democracy and civil society was at odds with ours, it didn't mean that government didn't carry on a dialogue with NGOs. "We understand that a normally functioning civil society is built on compromise," Simonenko said, unprompted. ¶6. (C) Simonenko was explicit about Transnistria's view of 5-plus-2 efforts to settle the conflict: Russia had a "leading" role and TN wanted the U.S. and other mediators and observers to play an active role. TN did not want any change of negotiating format. Only through the 5-plus-2 format could Transnistria have future guarantees, he added. ¶7. (C) Comment: Who knows what Simonenko believes in his heart. Given increased contact with representatives of Western governments, Russia- CHISINAU 00000951 002 OF 002 allied Simonenko is saying the right things. Perhaps Russia is urging TN officials to play nice in advance of movement on the 5-plus-2 front. At least, Simonenko is learning what Americans want to hear. His open, welcoming attitude is likely also a continuation of TN's "multi-vector" policy, an effort to reach beyond just Russia to other countries which can become Transnistrian partners and provide assistance in carefully defined areas. Simonenko did seem sincere when discussing Transnistria's needs. The visit of USAID officials and, in Simonenko's perception, the possibility of future USG assistance likely softened the deputy foreign minister's demeanor. CHAUDHRY