OSCE MISSION TO MOLDOVA CONCERNED ABOUT UNSANCTIONED MILITARY EXERCISES IN THE SECURITY ZONE

The OSCE Mission to Moldova expresses its concern regarding the river-crossing military exercise conducted in the Transnistria Security Zone by the Operational Group of Russian Forces on August 14 and 15.

The OSCE Mission wrote in its press release that in accordance with its mandate, the Mission deployed its team to the area of the Security Zone on August 14 and 15, but the team was obstructed from fully monitoring the exercises. In compliance with the Principles of Co-operation between the Joint Control Commission (JCC) and the OSCE Mission to Moldova of 2004, the Mission shared its observations with all the delegations to the JCC through the established channels.

The OSCE Mission also reminded that in accordance with the Agreement on the Principles of a Peaceful Settlement of the Armed Conflict in the Transnistrian Region of the Republic of Moldova of July 21, 1992

According to the Agreement on Principles of a Peaceful Settlement of the Armed Conflict in the Transnistrian Region of the Republic of Moldova of July 21, 1992, military exercises in the Security Zone are required to be authorized by the JCC, which was not done in this instance. The Mission reports its findings to the participating States of the OSCE, including the host country, through the established channels.

The OSCE Mission urges all parties involved in the fulfillment of the 1992 Agreement on Principles of a Peaceful Settlement to fully respect its provisions and the regime of the Security Zone, as well as the relevant JCC decisions and regulations, which is in the interests of all parties.

As was already reported by Infotag, on August 14 and 15 the OGRV organized “a training session on overcoming water obstacles” by the drivers of armored personnel carriers and armored reconnaissance vehicles. The exercises involved about 50 drivers who demonstrated and perfected their skills of negotiating water obstacles. They trained various turns on the water, evading of floating obstacles such as trees and other objects, embarking on the opposite river shore in the specified area, and other maneuvers on the water.