GOVERNMENT POSTPONED BEGINNING OF JOINT CONTROL WITH UKRAINE ON TRANSNISTRIAN SECTION OF BORDER

The government postponed for six months the beginning of joint control with Ukraine on the Transnistrian section of the border. At a government meeting on July 31, amendments were made to the previously adopted government resolution on this matter. Thus, the start of joint control has been postponed from August 1, 2020 to February 1, 2021.

This term has been postponed for the fourth time. First, it was determined that control at the border with the unrecognized region would be introduced on February 1, 2019, and then it was postponed to July 1 of the same year, to February 1, 2020, and to August 1, 2020. The first phase of joint Moldovan-Ukrainian control of the Transnistrian section of the border has been implemented since May 31, 2017. It concerned export-import operations. At the second stage, passport control should also be introduced.

Now, in addition to changing the date, the word "state" has been excluded in relation to the institutions of Transnistria, which the decree concerns. The draft government decree was kept in secret, it was not included in the agenda in advance and was not published on the government website.

In an information note, Deputy Prime Minister, Finance Minister Sergei Puscuta said that the postponement of the entry into force of joint border controls is due to "the need to identify viable solutions for registering institutions from the eastern regions with the Public Services Agency."

"The extension of the stipulated period is due to the epidemiological situation with COVID-19, due to which the activities of economic entities and institutions were limited," said Puscuta.

As a result, the movement of goods through the checkpoints "Pervomaisk - Kuchurgan", "Novye Goyany - Platonovo" and the railway checkpoint "Novosavitskaya - Kuchurgan" will be allowed, without imposing import and export duties "on the condition that the goods remain in the region."

Experts believe that this government decision is the result of tacit agreements between President Igor Dodon and Transnistrian leader Vadim Krasnoselsky. Transnistria opposes the establishment of joint control of Moldova and Ukraine.

The joint control project on the Transnistrian section of the Moldovan-Ukrainian border was supported by the European Union.