ambassador rudolf v. perina - Association for Diplomatic Studies and ...

PERINA: This was an issue of much debate between the two sides, and it is difficult to
judge because the statistics are so unreliable. I think that people in Transnistria were
worse off because of the isolation and the control and exploitation of the economy by
Smirnov and his people. The Transnistrian currency, the ruble, was a joke and had no
value outside of Transnistria. At least the Moldovan leu was convertible within Moldova
and relatively stable. But the hard fact is that the economic situation was bad on both
sides of the Dniester. That is why human trafficking, for example, became such a
problem in the country.
Q: Could you explain what you mean by that?
PERINA: Moldova became one of the main source countries in the region for young
women who were sent overseas for prostitution. It was a terrible problem. In some cases,
the girls knew what they were getting into and chose to do so just to escape the poverty in
Moldova and get to the West. In many cases in my time, however, the victims did not
know they would be forced into prostitution and thought they would be working as
nannies, waitresses, or something like that. Most often, it was women and girls from the
countryside who were tricked in this fashion. Moldova became notorious as a source
country for such trafficking. Most often the victims were sent to Western Europe or the
Balkans and the Middle East but one NGO even found two Moldovan girls in a brothel in
Cambodia. Fortunately, the matter got so much publicity that a lot of international donors
started giving money to deal with the problem. Also, trafficking was not unique to
Moldova. It was a big problem in Ukraine, Russia, the entire region. By the time I was
leaving, there were many NGO’s and programs dedicated to fighting human trafficking.
Q: What could the Embassy do about this?
PERINA: We directed a good chunk of our assistance money to supporting such
programs. Primarily these were educational programs to warn young women of what
could happen to them. The Embassy financed production of a documentary film that gave
testimony from real victims of trafficking. It was shown in schools and on Moldovan
television. There were even billboards in Chisinau warning against the dangers of being
recruited. So we did a lot, and I think the problem diminished but of course the roots of
the problem were economic, and the only long-term solution was to raise the standard of
living.
Q: Was Moldova lobbying for NATO and European Union membership?
PERINA: Not for NATO membership. Moldova’s constitution stated that the country
would be neutral, and lobbying for NATO membership would have complicated any
reconciliation with Transnistria. Moldova was a member of the Partnership for Peace
program and cooperated with NATO in that respect. There were even several NATOrelated
training exercises in Moldova with international participation. The Embassy also
had a very active military assistance and training program run by the Defense
Department. We had very good relations with the Moldovan military.
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