Although Her Majesty's Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland does not recognise the Pridnestrovian Moldovan Republic (PMR, or Transnistria) as an independent sovereign state, it is recognised as part of Moldovan territory and it is increasingly seen as important to the maintenance of valuable bilateral relations during a period of civil conflict in Europe.
Accordingly the President of the Pridnestrovian Moldovan Republic has appointed an Honorary Consul who is a citizen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, to represent the United Kingdom in diplomatic and consular affairs and negotiations both towards securing the PMR's status in the context of development within a Euro-Atlantic network of diplomatic coordination and to assist in mediating points of concern between Euro-Atlantic interests and those of the PMR and her proximate states and territories.
The common desire is that this is undertaken in a non-judgemental, independent and impartial way so as to assist coordination and constructive diplomacy at this difficult juncture in trans-European relations.
The British Honorary Consul is not a British government official or employee who can dictate the policy of Her Majesty's Government in any particular matter but rather a British citizen with close associations with the PMR such that the President of the PMR has found it propitious to appoint him and the Honorary Consul has found it propitious to accept.
The British Honorary Consul maintains permanent offices in Tiraspol, the capital of the PMR. The purposes of those offices are to:
engage with the PMR authorities with a view to exchanging information and proposals for cooperation with the governments of countries within the Euro-Atlantic network;
investigate opportunities for foreign investment into the PMR, together with emergency assistance, capacity building, and institutional and infrastructure development, and working to arrange and mediate the same;
facilitate ever more cooperative arrangements for governance with the government of the Republic of Moldova in Chisinau;
serve as regional mediators, diplomats and peacemakers upon such issues as the relevant parties may by consensus appear appropriate;
work with the authorities of the PMR to develop relations between the PMR and the Euro-Atlantic region;
where the agreement of all relevant parties is obtained, to address matters related to prisoners of war and foreigners who have found themselves captive in the context of the war in Ukraine, for a variety of different potential reasons;
where the relevant parties so agree, pursue consensual arrangements for the operation of international organisations in military theatre and other associated or proximate areas;
engage all relevant sides, in a neutral, impartial and non-judgemental way to strive for peace in the region;
promote the welfare of civilian refugees and displaced persons in the region;
facilitate coordination between the various military forces in the region so as to assist with the resolution of issues that may arise as well as to work to prevent escalation of military tensions;
promote international sporting cooperation;
developing cross-border academic cooperation, particularly in the field of tertiary education;
advise, where that advice is sought, upon macroeconomic issues and matters relating to transition economies;
provide emergency consular services to any foreign national who has a consular emergency in the region, subject to the below,
all of the foregoing objectives to be pursued without prejudice to any varying positions as to the legal or political or other status of the PMR, as to which the Office of the British Honorary Consul, which operates privately and not pursuant to the mandate of any government, reserves its own absolute neutrality unless and until such time as the relevant parties may by consensus achieve a final agreed resolution.
The Honorary Consul is based in Tiraspol and his office details are below. In case of consular emergencies, please make first contact via telephone to one of the numbers shown below. (It may be necessary to try more than one of those numbers, depending upon the location of the Honorary Consul at any one time.) The Honorary Consul aims to provide 24/7 service in such instances.
Where a matter is not an emergency, please make first contact by email.
Consular services that can be offered include:
Advising upon the finding and choice of a lawyer (but not paying for them)
Advising on the choice of medical care and an appropriate doctor (but not paying for them)
Raising any complaints about Police actions or prison conditions that we are asked to raise
Conducting one, or exceptionally two, prison visits to meet a foreign inmate
Contacting family friends or loved ones upon request, and assisting them with the transfer of funds to the PMR with a view to assist a person suffering from a consular emergency
Liaising with the PMR authorities with a view to securing the exit from (but not entry to) PMR territory by a person with a consular emergency
Facilitating transfer of a dead or injured person out of PMR to Moldovan territory (but not paying the costs of that process)
Liaising with banking authorities where banking issues have arisen
We do not assist with routine administrative or police matters, such as fines for overstaying one's permission to enter the PMR; alcohol based violence, etcetera.
We are bound by the UK Bribery Act 2010 and the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act 1976. We also consider ourselves bound by relevant regimes of international sanctions, without expressing any view as to their merits or otherwise.
Alll services are provided on a 'no liability' basis. We can turn down any request for consular assistance we wish, and where we do act upon a request we owe no duty of care. Pridnestrovian law applies to the provision of our services and Pridnestrovian courts have exclusive jurisdiction. We reserve the right not to act in any particular case without giving reasons. The operation of the Honorary Consul's office is not governed by English public or administrative law, as the Honorary Consul is a private citizen offering his services gratis to foreign citizens in the PMR with consular emergencies.
We have no jurisdiction to act, and cannot act, in respect of consular emergencies that take place on Moldovan territory outside the PMR. We may exceptionally be prepared to assist with consular emergencies that take place in the Odessa oblast of Ukraine, but everything depends upon the nature of the emergency and the situation on the ground at the time and in all such cases we reserve the right not to assist without providing reasons. Requests for consular assistance in respect of events elsewhere on Ukrainian territory, outside of Odessa oblast, will typically be rejected out of hand given the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
We reserve the right to cooperate (or not to do so) with any Embassy or other mission or other government agency as we consider appropriate, where our consular assistance is sought.
We ask that no office visits take place without prior appointment. Consular services are free to use for citizens of all countries at the point of first access.
The Office of the British Honorary Consul to Tiraspol
Ulitsa Karla Marksa 93
3300 Tiraspol
Pridnestrovian Moldovan Republic
Moldova
Tel. +373 775 90340
(Also Viber but no other VOIP apps)
Tel +44 20 70 97 13 15
Fax +44 20 30 02 73 02
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