Reports
ECO-TIRAS DEMANDS NOT TO SIGN AGREEMENT ON FUNCTIONING OF DNESTROVSK HYDRO-POWER COMPLEX
Chisinau. The Eco-Tiras International Ecologic Association of Protectors of the Dniester River, which joins 50 non-governmental organizations, demands from the Moldovan Government not to sign with Ukraine the Agreement on the Functioning of the Dnestrovsk Hydro-power Complex. The latter one includes the Dniester and buffer dams, water reservoir between them and the Dniester hydro-accumulating station.
Association Chairman Ilia Trombitschii said at a news conference in Infotag that the draft agreement was made up in secret.
“The construction works envisage that Ukrainian energy enterprises must occupy two land plots covering 17 ha on Moldova’s territory and to lease out these lands to Ukraine for a long period. Unfortunately, the agreement, about which we knew from secret sources, does not envisage any concrete measures on reducing and compensating the ecological damage, which will be inflicted upon the lower stream of the Dniester River and upon its ecological systems”, the Ecologist said.
In his opinion, the document must include the recognition of the Dnestrovsk Hydro-power Complex’s negative influence upon the Dniester River and it must contain clear provisions, concerning the protection of the river and Ukraine’s role.
The Eco-Tiras Association regrets that in both states the civil society’s access to preparing the agreement was closed. The Association calls for changing the document in favor of the Dniester River.
As Infotag has already reported, the complex under construction is one of contending questions in relations between two countries. In April at the consultations in Kiev the sides agreed amendments to the inter-governmental agreement on the recognition of rights and the settlement of property relations, which established Ukraine’s property on a part of the dam and Moldova’s property right for a number of objects on the territory of Ukraine. It was expected that Ukrainian President Victor Yushenko would visit Chisinau for the signing of this document. Judging by the fact that he did not come, not all the problems were settled. At the end of last week Yushenko visited the station under construction and called for accelerating works for putting it into operation.
