What are the pros and cons for an expat living in Transdniestria?
There are already a few Americans living in Tiraspol. One of them came several years ago, and liked it so much that he bought real estate. He is a permanent resident. Getting a residence permit is easy.
PROS -
Nice, clean place. More orderly than Moldova, more respect for laws, and less corrupt (which isn’t saying that corruption doesn’t exist. Just that it is less pervasive in the daily lives of citizens).
Independent. The whole “but it is not recognized” matters surprisingly little in the day to day affairs. It mostly becomes relevant when dealing with the rest of the world. (As if there aren’t any expats in Taiwan. Yeah, right…)
Cheaper real estate. Nuff said. And a rock-bottom cost of living, yet still a distinct European flavor. That is a good combination. Third world cost of living but without the third world problems. Gasoline is cheap and there is broadband internet, no electricity blackouts, decent hospitals and schools, running water. Despite being poor, this is Europe, not Africa.
On its way to internationally recognized independence. This may seem like a bold statement, but it is true. I heard from a participant in a seminar among new EU states (Romania and Bulgaria) last week. Both of these countries are familiar with the situation in PMR, and there was a consensus among individual participants that PMR would be recognized as an independent state sooner or later. They don’t see any other realistic alternative when you take the will of the people into account, and also factor in the accomplishments in state building which have been achieved over the past 17 years.
The fight for Transdniestria’s official recognition as an independent state is underway, and you are not betting on probabilities here but on inevitabilities.
CONS -
There’s the risk of renewed war with Moldova flaring up. Very tiny, and I personally discard it. Moldova already lost once, and nowaways the population is so steeled against Moldova that it is clear that even if they win, they won’t have the backing of the people that they supposedly want to govern.
Another negative is the increased isolation and blockade. Moldova is trying to cut off PMR from the rest of the world economy, by blocking the borders (exports AND imports) to any goods that don’t go through Moldova firs. That gives them leverage to use all sorts of technicalities to mess with PMR’s economic survival. I wouldn’t expect anything less from the poorest and most corrupt country in Europe.
Well, these are really the only two negatives I can think of.
The place is peaceful, multiethnic and all the minorities get along really well. There is no discrimination of Moldovans, despite what the Chisinau press says. In fact, talk to the ethnic Moldovans yourself who live in PMR, and you’ll find out that they want independence just as much as the other ethnic groups. The big surprise here is that: Even the Moldovans are in no hurry to join Moldova.
Oh, and maybe there’s a third negative: PMR won’t join the EU, not even in the long run. They also won’t be able to join Russia (international law, and all that). The smart money sees the place as a new mini state along the lines of Luxembourg and Iceland. PMR is larger than both of those, and has the potential - in the long run - to become equally prosperous.
I personally don’t think a lack of EU and a lack of Russia is a bad idea. Look at Switzerland which is doing just fine and is not part of either.
Visit for yourself, then evaluate all the facts objectively. You will find that it is 95% positive in Transdniestria, and that the non-positive 5% can actually be mitigated.
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