TIRASPOL. May 13 (Interfax-AVN) - Descendants of Russia's imperial house of Romanov who claim the right to the hypothetical Russian throne are to have a representative office in the Moldovan breakaway region of Transdniestria under an agreement signed during a visit to the region by Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna, who claims headship of the imperial house.
The agreement was the highlight of Maria Vladimirovna's visit to Transdniestria.
"Transdniestria is a wonderful land, where people live well and peacefully. People are sure of what they do and of what they want to achieve. Of course, Transdniestria has its problems, but it is pleasant that there is a country that is trying to organize its life well and make it better," the grand duchess told a news conference in the regional capital, Tiraspol.
She thanked the Transdniestrian leadership for giving her a warm welcome.
Asked whether she might return to the country of which she styles herself "titular empress," Maria Vladimirovna, who lives outside Russia, said "the status of the imperial house of Romanov has to be agreed with the Russian authorities" first.
During her visit to Transdniestria, Maria Vladimirovna awarded the order of St. Anna First Class to Transdniestrian President Igor Smirnov, Archbishop Yustinian of Tiraspol and Dubasari, and Metropolitan Vladimir, head of the Moldovan metropolitan see of the Russian Orthodox Church.
The grand duchess, in turn, received the supreme honor of Transdniestria, the Order of the Republic, and an award from the Moldovan metropolitan see, the Order of St. Paraskevi.