PROVOCATIONS DURING TRANSNISTRIAN SETTLEMENT ARE INADMISSIBLE – FOREIGN MINISTER

The Moldovan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration will convoke on Thursday the representatives of the 5+2 negotiating format parties, Minister Tudor Ulianovschi said on the Publica TV channel on Wednesday night.

He explained that the purpose of the meeting would be to inform all the stakeholders about the situation developing in the Transnistria Security Zone and about the provocative actions by the Tiraspol administration.

“We want to state the inadmissibility of provocative actions, particularly now – in an election period in Moldova”, said Tudor Ulianovschi.

The Minister reminded that on January 25 Transnistria president Vadim Krasnoselsky signed a decree, reading: “In Varnita village, situated in the territory remaining under the Republic of Moldova’s temporary control, where the Council of people’s deputies and village administration head have not been elected until now, their functions shall be entrusted to the [nearby] Proteagailovca Village Council of People’s Deputies and to the Proteagailovca village administration”. That decision was taken in response to the inquiry lodged by the Bendery City Council of People’s Deputies, said the presidential decree.

“As a matter of fact, Varnita is situated in the Republic of Moldova territory. This fact has been recognized internationally and, therefore, it is clear and undisputable. We do not want such provocations to continue. We will be acting promptly, pragmatically and in collaboration with international partners”, stated the Moldovan foreign minister.

Tudor Ulianovschi also said that on Thursday this stance of Chisinau’s would be brought to the knowledge of the representatives of the OSCE Mission to Moldova, of the European Union Delegation to the Republic of Moldova, of the Embassies of Russia, Ukraine and the United States as well as of Slovakia – the country presiding the OSCE this year.

“We believe it would be expedient also to hear our partners’ reaction to the said actions. And it is necessary to call on the Russian Federation, which has an influence on Tiraspol, to prevent such actions in the future”, stated Tudor Ulianovschi.

According to him, on Thursday the Republic of Moldova’s Representative at the OSCE, Victor Osipov, will present a Declaration by the Government of Moldova on this issue at the meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna.

On Wednesday, Moldovan Prime Minister Pavel Filip has asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration to notify the international mediators and observers participating in the 5+2 Transnistria negotiation process about the “provocative actions” undertaken by “the so-called structures of the Transnistrian region” with respect to the Varnita Village in the Anenii Noi Raion.

As was already reported by Infotag, between Moldova and Transnistria there still exist a number of discrepancies in their interpretation of the 1992 accords concerning the belonging of some populated areas. One of such areas is Varnita, which Chisinau regards as an individual populated area, with its own local authorities subordinated to the Republic of Moldova. But in Tiraspol’s opinion, Varnita, together with the villages of Gisca and Proteagailovca, are parts to the administrative-territorial unit of the Bendery City. An analogous discord is about the village of Corjova (Dubasari Raion), which Moldova regards to be a separate Moldovan village, with its own Primaria [executive organ], whereas the Transnistrian authorities regard it as a suburban community of the Transnistrian town of Dubasari.