The Malaysian Insider :: Features
The Malaysian Insider :: Features |
| EU or Russia? An economic dilemma for Transdniestr Posted: 04 May 2014 01:58 AM PDT Today, the wine and spirit producer operates from Transdniestr, a breakaway region in Moldova whose economy faces a tough choice between Russia and the European Union. The pro-Russian strip of land wedged between Ukraine and the Dniestr river proclaimed independence from Moldova in 1990. Although it has not been recognised by any state, it has its own parliament, currency, and exists in a state of de-facto independence after a war that left 800 people dead. "Kvint was founded in 1897 and of course it lived through all the ups and downs of history in this region", Anna Kozyrina, the distillery's PR-manager, told AFP in Tiraspol, the "capital" of Transdniestr. The famous spirit produced by Kvint – Russians, Ukrainians and Moldovans call it "cognac" – has had its fair share of glory, making it to the Vatican and even into space, thanks to Russian cosmonauts. But it was hit hard by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev's anti-drinking campaign in 1986: vineyards were uprooted and for a year Kvint had to produce fruit juices instead of spirits. Since then, Kvint has replanted more than 1,500 hectares of vineyards. It produces 20 million bottles a year and has revenues of US$50 million. Kvint's Divines – the name given to the top-end brandies – are exported to Italy and China, although Russia, Moldova and Ukraine remain the company's main markets. But as tensions soar between Russia and the West over Ukraine, Kvint and the main players of the Transdniestr economy face two nagging challenges. The first is a potential erosion of trade with Kiev. "The crisis has not affected us so far, but if it continues, it will impact our exports", Kozyrina said. But the main bone of contention lies with the association agreement Moldova is due to sign in June with the EU, a move the pro-Kremlin authorities in Tiraspol fiercely oppose. "What is happening in Chisinau, these moves towards the European Union are counter-productive", the president of Transdniestr, Yevgeny Shevchuk, told AFP. He wants the enclave to join the Kremlin-led Customs Union, a nascent alliance at the heart of Russian President Vladimir Putin's bid to extend Moscow's influence. It was fierce divisions in Ukraine on whether to move closer to the EU or stay in Russia's orbit, that plunged the country into a deadly crisis. "Of course, the authorities in Tiraspol have to show that the EU is not a necessary partner for the economy, rather Russia. However, trade statistics show the majority of exports go to Europe", a member of the EU Border Assistance Mission to Ukraine and Moldova (EUBAM) told AFP. The EU absorbs up to three-quarters of the total volume of goods produced in the enclave, compared to between 15% to 20% exported to Russia, according to data sent to AFP by EUBAM. Many European high-street brands have their clothes and shoes produced in Transdniestr due to the lower labour costs. The average salary is 200 euros a month. Tirotex, the local textile giant, exports about 70% of its production, mainly to Europe. "Transdniestr has a lot to gain from an association agreement with the EU", the head of the EU delegation in Moldova, Pirkka Tapiola told AFP. Accusations that the deal – which includes a free trade agreement – would block access to markets in the East "are a myth", he said. "The agreement is not limiting Moldova's sovereignty to sign trade agreements" with others, he added, an implicit reference to Russia. Risk of isolation But Russia's influence in Moldova and Transdniestr extends beyond being an important export market. Both are heavily dependent on Russian gas. Tens of thousands of their residents also currently work in Russia. With the rising tensions in Ukraine, the gap between the pro-European government in Chisinau and the pro-Russian separatists in Tiraspol has widened. At the moment, firms in the Transdniestr strip are exempted from EU custom duties like any Moldovan company – even if Tiraspol imposes duties on EU imports. But if the new trade agreement comes into force, goods from Transdniestr could face heavier duties. "The risk for Transdniestr – if they refuse any kind of compromise with Moldova and the EU – is isolation", a source close to the talks stressed. But for ordinary citizens like Yelena Rotari, a vegetable seller at the Tiraspol market, there are fears of what it could mean for their livelihoods. "We were told that with the EU we will not be able to sell our products directly anymore, we will have to sell them to supermarkets for a much lower price", she says. – AFP, May 4, 2014 |
| Qatar splurges on modern art despite conservatism Posted: 03 May 2014 09:19 PM PDT Damien Hirst's 'Miraculous Journey', a group of 14 bronze foetus sculptures, makes an unlikely addition to the landscape of Doha, installed in front of a medical centre on the outskirts of the capital. Out in the middle of the desert, a large abstract sculpture by American artist Richard Serra rises up from the sand. The deep-pocketed emirate, which has massive natural gas reserves, is pursuing world-famous art with the same vigour it has brought to attracting international sporting events, including football's 2022 World Cup. Sheikha Al-Mayassa, a sister of emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, has led the push for art, and recently inaugurated Serra's 'East-west/West-east', four 15-metre-high steel plates in the desert, reachable only by off-road vehicle. Serra's '7', a monumental work of seven 24-metre-high steel plates, rises up from a pier extending into Doha's harbour from the park of the Museum of Islamic Art, which was designed by the famed architect I.M. Pei. The towering sculpture was inspired by a minaret in Afghanistan and portrays the spiritual and scientific significance of the number seven in Islamic culture, according to the museum. "Being able to build '7' and being able to build the piece in the desert at this scale is like meeting the Medicis in the 15th century," said Serra, referring to the Florentine family's patronage of Renaissance artists. "Those kinds of opportunities are rarely given to an individual. In my country art comes after football and entertainment," he added. Sheikha Al-Mayassa, who heads the Qatar Museums Authority, is well-known in the art world thanks to the large sums she has spent on acquiring masterpieces. Last year London's Art Review magazine called her the most influential personality in the field of contemporary art, saying she spends about US$1 billion (RM3.2 billion) on artwork every year. The QMA declined to confirm the figure, just as it has not disclosed the cost of several works, including Paul Cezanne's 'The Card Players,' which is said have fetched a record US$250 million (RM816 million). The authority has invited top architects to design five museums for the capital. Pei, the celebrated Chinese-born American architect behind the Louvre Pyramid, designed the Museum of Islamic Art with Cairo's mediaeval Ibn Tulun Mosque in mind, while France's Jean Nouvel has been asked to design the National Museum of Qatar. In 2010 the emirate established the first museum devoted to modern Arab art. "To choose these incredible artists, and to choose great architects and create the Museum of Islamic Art, that takes a vision," said Jean-Paul Engelen, director of QMA's public art division. The avant-garde vision of Sheikha Al-Mayassa sometimes appears to be on a collision course with the emirate's conservative populace. Conservative interpretations of Islam forbid the portrayal of the human form, equating it with idolatry. In October, the QMA had to remove a statue of the infamous headbutt of French footballer Zinedine Zidaneadel against Italian Marco Materazzi after it was installed on the Doha sea front. The five-metre sculpture by artist Adel Abdessemed triggered a wave of complaints on social media networks, with many viewing it as a violation of Islam. Tareq al-Jaidah, director of the Katara Art Centre, says it may take time for Qataris to fully embrace the government's grand artistic vision. "It is something new and people have yet to be introduced to it. Let's take our time, let's not rush it," he said. – AFP, May 4, 2014. |
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