MOLDOVA INSISTING ON MONITORING OF PEACEKEEPER POSTS TOGETHER WITH UKRAINE AND OSCE

Moldova is insisting that peacekeeper posts in the Transnistria Security Zone be monitored exclusively with the participation of experts from Ukraine and the OSCE.

The Head of the Moldovan delegation to the Joint Control Commission [JCC, a supervisory body for the Joint Peacekeeping Forces], General Ion Solonenco, stated to Infotag that Chisinau stands ready to discuss this question not only at JCC weekly meetings but also at the meetings of JCC co-chairpersons.

“May be such meeting will take place next week, but we insist that it should be held necessarily in the presence of the representatives of the international mediators and observers. Look, we ask our Transnistrian colleagues reasonable questions but can’t receive answers. For instance, we want to know why we find inscriptions “Border Service” and signs of a state border in the Security Zone and in Bendery – a city with a higher security regime. What border is meant? And what border guards? JCC documents have no such provisions whatsoever. But the Transnistrian side evades discussing this problem as well as a number of other ones, for instance the problem of free movement of persons. We hope that with the Russian JCC partners’ mediation we will able to advance in handling this problem. At any rate, we are tuned to a positive activity of the Joint Control Commission”, said Ion Solonenco.

Checks of peacekeeper posts and visits to incident sites in the Security Zone are made in the presence of senior military officers of the conflict sides. However, Moldova regards this as insufficient and is proposing to involve also the representatives of international mediators – the OSCE and Ukraine – into the monitoring process.