PMR SECURITY COUNCIL DISCUSSES COUNTERMEASURES AGAINST CHALLENGES TO STATE INTERESTS

The unrecognized Transnistrian Moldovan republic security council with the organizing of joint Moldovan-Ukrainian control at the border and identified further steps, directed to counteracting the existing challenge to Transnistria's state interests.

According to website of the PMR president Vadim Krasnoselsky, he estimated the measures, adopted by Chisinau and Kiev, as blockade and targeted the members of the Security Council to consolidating efforts for elaborating reaction measures.

The reporter, region's minister for foreign affairs Vitaly Ignatiev reminded that the first stage of Moldovan-Ukrainian control at the Cuciurgan customs station started in summer 2017, meaning the right of export control from Transnistria by representatives of Moldovan customs services.

With all this, he recognized that so far, there was not a single situation, connected with the control of exports from Transnistria, occurred at this checkpoint.

"However, since April 18, 2018, the Moldovan Customs Service started the control of the import-export operations via the Cuciurgan checkpoint within the so-called test regime "stage 1+", he said.

According to him, among the risks of such decision there is the restricting of the importing of goods subject to veterinary and phytosanitary control connected with lack of mechanisms of registering this category; problems with supplies of medications (first of all, Moldovan license is necessary, secondly the list of allowed medications differ in Transnistria and Moldova); growth of financial and temporary losses with triple customs clearing.

"Both exporters and importers will face problems: the number of permitting documents will grow. Besides Moldova and Transnistria have different criteria of importing vehicles. A difficult situation occurs with individual entrepreneurs: by July, 11 thousand of Transnistrian patent holders will have to either register in Moldova, or suspend their activities", the Minister said.

Deputy Minister of Economic Development Alevtina Slincenco said that the expected are assessed to US$40 million.

The Transnistrian foreign ministry already transmitted an official address to all the participants of the 5+2 negotiation format about the existing situation and unacceptability of creating restrictive barriers. It was proposed to urgently conduct a meeting of political representatives, dedicated to the problematic of joint customs control.