The basic rule for international legal sovereignty is that recognition is extended to entities, states, with territory and juridical autonomy. But even though Pridnestrovskaia Moldavskaia Respublica has a goodsized population, territory and full juridical self-rule, international recognition by other states has been slow in coming. Critics of independence like to claim this as proof that Pridnestrovie doesn't exist, that it isn't a real country, and that its main governing body — the democratically elected Parliament — is a "parliament" which must somehow be enclosed in quotation marks and smirked at.

Are they right? Does a country only exist when someone else, in some capital in a foreign land, puts pen to paper and says so?

The world's only strongly principled opponent to Pridnestrovie's independence is the Republic of Moldova, a country which owes its very existence to a secret pact between Hitler and Stalin (before the pact, it was part of Romania). Moldova maintains a territorial claim on Pridnestrovie and until that claim is relinquished it will be hard for Moldova to accept Pridnestrovian statehood. This, however, does not prevent other countries from recognizing Pridnestrovie. And in fact, doing so will not entail breaking off relations with Moldova nor will it entail any value judgment on the merit or lack thereof of Moldova's territorial claim. The granting of international recognition is a neutral act which does not imply approval of the recognized country's policies or positions vis-a-vis other countries.

The world's éminence grise on state recognition, Sir Terence Shone, set the gold standard for recognition of governments with the following statement at the UN General Assembly:
" - The question of recognition should be decided on the facts and it should not be influenced by the like or dislike or the government in question. Recognition should be based on control of territory and/or state, and should not convey any moral interpretations."

This convincing realist perspective, when applied to Pridnestrovie, would effectively render Moldova's international lobbying efforts useless. Pridnestrovie seeks stronger international ties and would welcome international recognition. At the same time, however, Pridnestrovie understands that the level of recognition will be measured in degrees, and the country is content with forming closer partnerships of likeminded nations in Europe and elsewhere.

Disregarding the human rights of the affected populations, nonrecognition is often used as an instrument of policy. Rulers with territory and juridical and de facto autonomy, such as Mao's China from 1949 to the 1970s, were not recognized. And it took the United States seventeen years, until 1934, before officially recognizing Soviet Russia. When Latin America became independent from colonial rule, Britain refused to recognize them until a decade after they had established effective control.

In a better world, Sir Terence Shone's realistic and objective principles of state recognition would apply. Or, at the very least, the litmus test of the Montevideo Convention. [0] But even today, many new states are — perhaps childishly — not recognized by many other states. In fact, there is no single state in the world which is fully recognized by all other existing states. So international recognition is simply a matter of degrees, and hundred percent recognition does not exist.

" - Nonrecognition is not a bar to the conduct of commercial or even diplomatic discourse", writes Stephen D. Krasner of the Institute for International Studies at Stanford University, but still concludes that "it is better to be recognized than not."

As one of the world's top experts on state sovereignty, Krasner was the editor of U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's study of post-Soviet sovereignty issues. Rice, who speaks Russian, understands Pridnestrovie's position better than most and is said to be personally sympathetic to the young nation's plight in the face of Moldova's unjustified territorial claim.

Stephen Krasner affirms that Pridnestrovie can exist regardless of international recognition or not. He says:
" - International recognition is not a constitutive act in the sense that absence of recognition precludes the kinds of activities that recognition facilitates. Governments have maintained administrative contacts and signed agreements with governments that have not been recognized; they have exchanged trade missions, registered trademarks, accepted consular missions [...] The U.S. Protection of Diplomats Act of 1971 provides for the protection of diplomats even if their governments have not been recognized by the United States."

Under international law, the "legality" of Pridnestrovie also does not depend on its level of international recognition. The Montevideo Convention [0], signed by the United States, is clear on this point: "The political existence of the state is independent of recognition by other states."

Letting the cat out of the bag, the Montevideo Convention neutralizes the anti-independence argument that international recognition can be used for political bullying. Quite simply, the existence of Pridnestrovie, according to the Montevideo Convention, does not depend on international recognition. Lack of recognition is not even a barrier to diplomatic relations, as Taiwan [0] — another largely unrecognized country — has already shown. The high number of formal agreements reached between Taiwan and the U.S. during the Clinton Administration covered everything from trade to immigration, arms sales to education, postage and technical cooperation, and included a series of visits of high-ranking personnel between the two countries (including reciprocal visits by leaders of both governments) even though Taiwan, like Pridnestrovie, is not yet formally recognized by the United States government.

Formal non-recognition is only a hindrance, not an obstable, to effective diplomatic relations. It is felt most in the face of Moldova's disinformation campaign where Pridnestrovie's lack of international representation prevents it from stating its side of the story on an equal basis. This is a common disadvantage of the lack of formal international recognition. In writing about the perils of being an unrecognized state, in a book published under the auspices of the Centre for the Study of Diplomacy at the University of Leicester, Dr Gary D. Rawnsley states that such unrecognized states:
"- must also contend with the barrage of propaganda against them which seeks to isolate and demonize them."

In a constant war of words, Pridnestrovie is demonized by the tall tales of pro-Moldovan, anti-independence propaganda whose only modus operandi is to paint the blackest-of-black picture of Pridnestrovie and whose sole purpose is to isolate the country from its wish to form constructive international partnerships and develop a good neighbor policy with other countries in Europe.

Getting down to brass tacks, the question of whether other countries deign it fit to grant recognition is not the be all and end all of Pridnestrovie's existence. Sure, recognition is preferable to non-recognition. But Pridnestrovie wasn't founded merely to please (or not please) the international community. Rather, the country exists as the embodiment of a people's desire for freedom after having lived for decades under Soviet rule.

Those who feel that Pridnestrovie is somehow not a "real" country because it hasn't been recognized by a sufficient number of other "real" countries might as well get off their high horse and face reality: Pridnestrovie exists, it has existed for the better part of two decades now, and it will continue to exist just as it exists today. It is a fully independent country which receives no funding or government interference from Moldova. It has a well functioning government with its own borders, constitution, currency, taxation, jurisprudence and a population larger than many UN member states. In the PMR, outside recognition is not the factor that determines if life goes on. It does.

" - We all live in the real world. Weariness connected with non-recognition of our Republic can be felt. It’s painful and understandable," says the country's current president Igor Smirnov.
" - But the people of Pridnestrovie did not create their state for the purpose only of international recognition. Our top priorities are economic development and the improvement of our standard of living. Non-recognition is not an excuse for a preconceived and one-sided attitude any more."

WHAT'S RELATED: Stronger international ties to secure Pridnestrovie's place in the new Europe [1] Background analysis: PMR's sovereignty in international law [1] Is Pridnestrovie a country? [2] Taiwan: Similiarities and differences [3] more... [4]