What's in a name?

Valeri, we hardly knew ye!

[image source]

It seems that Valeri Litskai, the native of Tver' who has been de facto foreign minister of the PMR (as Transnistria's de facto government calls the territory) for as long as I can remember has been pushed out, and just at a time when some believe a resolution to the conflict might be in the works. We can only hope that the guy taking his place wasn't chosen because of his name - Владимир Ястребчак (Vladimir Yastrebchak). Ястреб means "hawk" in Russian. Strangely (or perhaps not so strangely), the "Tiraspol Times" (by all indications an online propaganda project funded by someone close to the PMR's powers-that-be) had a story forecasting this turn of events a couple of months ago.

Here is Regnum's article on the story, one-sided as their stories generally are on the post-soviet "frozen" conflicts and quoting extensively a rather tendentious Transnistrian "politologist" (who was, at least a few years ago, "dean of the Law Faculty at Transnistria State University"). And here's another Regnum story, quoting a Transnistrian politician's comment on the change, at a time when Litskai had just eight months left until retirement and (perhaps more importantly) when talks on resolving the conflict are reaching their final phase: "you don't change horses in midstream." We'll see if this change signals a revolution in the PMR's "foreign" policy toward Moldova, but I'm not holding my breath.

[Update July 11]

Here are some additional thoughts from a Moldovan think-tank on the reasons behind the reshuffle at the pinnacle of the PMR's foreign policy apparatus:

Some developments in the second half of June have made observers suppose that the race between Ukraine and Russia to control the Transnistrian regime has intensified. After Russia has refused to recognise Transnistria’s independence despite its promise to extend the "Kosovo precedent" Transnistrian leaders signalled the need to promote a "multi-vector" foreign policy which would replace the one addressing Russia only. The multi-vector foreign policy may consist in oscillations between Russia and Ukraine only, as the existence and the survival of the separatist regime have always depended on willingness of the two countries. [...]

In all likelihood, Russian authorities have decided to get involved in order to prevent the development of Tiraspol’s game with Kiev, given their "friendly" relations with Ukraine.

Litskai has made public the target of playing on contradictions between Chisinau and Kiev, while Chisinau is trying to get in the good graces of Moscow in the detriment of relations with Kiev. [...]

Transnistrian authorities have appointed Deputy foreign minister Vladimir Yastrebchiak as ad-interim minister shortly after the visit by Russian diplomats led by Zubakov to Chisinau and Tiraspol. The news agency Novy Region quoted sources in the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry as saying that Smirnov will fire Litskai soon for the pro-Ukraine policy he has tried to promote in the last months. The eventual dismissal of Litskai is allegedly linked to his alcohol addiction which often turns into public debauches. In these circumstances, one shall see the real reasons why Litskai is disgraced for: promotion of the so-called "multi-vector" foreign policy with oscillations between Russia and Ukraine, serious drunkenness, health, etc. Indeed, all these factors are convergent. [...]