President’s speech at the meeting with Heads of the pridnestrovian media

Dear friends!
Every year at the beginning of May we celebrate your professional holidays - Day of press, Day of radio, television and communication. It’s rather symbolic because the profession of a journalist means energetic activity, the skill to be in the thick of things, constant search and struggle – all that is characteristic for nature in spring.
I express my gratitude to you for your hard work, patriotism and professionalism!
For 15 v years our Republic has been living, developing, and strengthening its statehood under economic blockades, the political pressure and information diversions.
It’s hard to overestimate the role and importance of the media for combating these threats. The skill of our journalists is steadily improving and advancing. The information wars that unfortunately became a tradition in our relations with Kishinev end, as a rule, in failure of the latter. I think the success of our journalists is conditioned not only by their high skill and patriotism but by the fact that objectivity and truth are destined to be above evil and lie.
This year is special. It’s the 60-th spring of Victory, jubilee May of great feat of the Soviet people in the war against fascism.
The succession of generations is preserved in our Republic, historic and folk sacred things are revered here. When the results of the Great Patriotic war are re-considered in some ex-soviet states, human values are displaced, we, the pridnestrovians, still preserve love of their own country, their historic roots; we bow before the feat of our fathers and grandfathers.
We are surprised and indignant at the fact that some Baltic States, and the neighbouring Moldova give equal rights to veterans who destroyed world fascism as well as to the Nazis and their supporters. We will never do it! Crimes against humankind have no prescriptive right.
The care of veterans will always be the top priority of our state. It’s our holy duty to those alive and the memory of the fallen. The law “On social security of veterans” adopted in 1995 is in force in republic. I want to note that it has become one of the most progressive on the territory of the former USSR.
We first released war invalids of payments for public utilities and then veterans of the Great Patriotic war and widows of the fallen. We offered privileges for medical treatment, pensions, transport services and other social services.
Almost all state departments have been involved into preparations for the great holiday this year. The amount of money (11 million roubles) for funding celebrations has been allocated, the thorough preparatory work have been done:
- state administrations of cities and districts examined the living conditions of veterans. Money were allocated for repair works. Enterprises joined it actively. In Tiraspol 150 veterans’ apartments were repaired, building materials and domestic appliances were bought, ten veterans’ families were given new apartments;
- pecuniary aid has almost been paid to veterans (the amount of money depends on veteran’s status – 1 600, 1 000 and 485 roubles);
- war veterans were connected to telephone lines. Besides, Interdnestrcom company holds an action on free connection to the free cable television for war veterans;
- needy invalids of the Great Patriotic war were provided with deaf-aids, prosthetic and orthopedic appliances, etc;
- war veterans will be provided with vouchers to sanatoriums of the republic.

The state pays special attention to pensions of war veterans. In honour of the 50-th anniversary of Victory in May 2005 invalids of the Great Patriotic war were given two pensions – disability and old-age pensions. Nowadays on the 60-th anniversary of Victory the Law “On state pensions” was amended and supplemented. The amount of average two pensions of invalids of the Great Patriotic war will be 600 roubles, of participants of hostilities – around 500 roubles.
Average pensions of other veterans are:
- former ghetto prisoners – 407 roubles”
- dwellers of Leningrad under blockade – 391 roubles;
- persons who served at least during 6 months – 371 roubles;
- persons awarded with orders and medals of the USSR for selfless labour and service during the war – 360 roubles.

Besides, since May 1, 2005 pensions have been increased for the following categories of citizens:
- persons who served during at least four months between June 22, 1941 and September 3, 1945 – by 50 % of a minimum old-age pension;
- persons born before December 31, 1931 (around 14 000 people) without giving proofs of their work during the Great Patriotic war – by 25% of a minimum old-age pension;
Over 150 people, including 100 widows of war invalids who are paid pensions on loss of the bread-winner will be given a right to the old-age pension. The pensions will be paid by the Boards of social security of State local administrations.
Every year the state of health of people with privileges including war invalids and veterans is examined. This year around 7 500 war invalids and veterans have been examined (65,5 % of the total number of people eligible for examination). Over 7 000 of them were given free medical treatment. The ministry of national health bought 84 deaf-aids (187 000 roubles) for war invalids and veterans.
Under the plan on preparations for celebrations of the 60-th anniversary of Victory in 2004-2005 630 000 roubles were allocated for providing war veterans and invalids with tooth prosthetic appliances. 107 000 roubles were given for providing them with medicines.
The emotional patriotic spirit is of great importance - meetings of veterans with the youth, the commemorative march around the places of battle glory, and of course, the propaganda in the media.
The columns dedicated to the feat of the Soviet people, their sufferings, the recollections of those people who lived and fought during the Great Patriotic war have been opened almost in every printing edition. The books-memoirs: “From Har’kov to Prague”, “Service in the name of Motherland”, “Cantata of memory” written by our compatriots – I. Chernov, P. Danich, P.Shpakov – have been published. The political and public newspaper “Pridnestrovie” organized a photo contest “Faces of Great Victory” with the following publication of the photo chronicle “Pridenstrovians – in the Great Patriotic war”