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2004 JEMIE 1 (2004)
Moldova and the Transnistrian Conflict

handle is hein.journals/jemie2004 and id is 127 raw text is: Chapter 4 Moldova and the Transnistrian Conflict Marius Vahl and Michael Emerson The Transnistrian conflict emerged with the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the late 1980s. The two sides have been unable to agree on any of the proposals tabled by the international mediators, Russia, Ukraine and the OSCE. The EU played a negligible role during the first decade of the Transnistrian conflict, but has recently become more engaged. This was preceded by a growing emphasis on the EU and Europeanization in Moldovan political discourse. Disillusionment with the negotiating format has grown in Moldova, increasing support for Europeanization of Moldova independently of the settlement of the conflict. The EU engagement has led to a growing resentment towards the EU in Transnistrian political discourse. Differences among the major external actors have become more pronounced, with Russia disapproving of the 'interference'of the West and the growing engagement of the EU. 4.1 A brief history of Moldova' Moldova traces its roots to the Principality of Moldova established in the late Middle Ages. Centred in present-day Romania to the northwest of today's Moldova, the Principality reached its peak during the 15th century, before becoming a vassal state of the Ottomans in the early 16th century. Moldova was never fully incorporated into the Ottoman Empire. Its vassal status was withdrawn and Greek administrators were appointed in the early 18th century, following anti-Ottoman insurrections. The revolt was supported by the expanding Russian empire, which reached the Nistru river in the late th2 18 century. In 1806, Russia invaded the Eastern part of the Principality known as Bessarabia, an annexation accepted by the Ottomans in 1812.3 The rump Moldovan principality on the west side of the Prut, in present-day Romania, remained part of the Ottoman Empire. Russian annexation of Bessarabia caused a massive exodus of peasants fearing serfdom (which, however, was never introduced in Bessarabia) and conscription in the Russian army, as Tatars and Turks were expelled, partially replaced by Bulgarian and Turkish This section is based primarily on Charles King, The Moldovans - Romania, Russia and the Politics of Culture (Stanford, California: Hoover International Press, 2000); and Wim van Meurs, The Bessarabian Question in Communist Historiography - Nationalist and Communist Politics and History-Writing (New York, NY: Columbia University Press, 1994). 2 Spelling of names has changed fiequently throughout Moldovan history. For consistency, current Romanian place names are used in this text, for instance the Nistru river (and not the Dnestr, Dniestr or Dniester) and Transnistria (and not Transdniestria, Trans-Dniestr or other Latin-Slavic hybrids). 3 Before the Russian annexation, the area between the Prut and the Nistru rivers had no particular name and was simply considered the eastern part of the Moldovan Principality. The name Bessarabia was initially applied to an area bounded by the Black Sea, the Nistru and the Danube, which was part of the other (southern) Romanian principality of Wallachia governed by the Wallachian house of Basarabs from around 1400.

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