Moldovan President demands immediate withdrawal of Russian troops from Transnistria
Moldovan President Maia Sandu demanded that the Russian troops withdraw from the occupied Transnistria, reports the news outlet Jurnalul National.
Maia Sandu noted that Moldova constantly demands the withdrawal of Russian troops from the territory of Transnistria.
"Russia plays a key role in the Transnistrian conflict. We have always demanded the withdrawal of Russian troops from Transnistria, we have demanded and continue to demand the immediate disposal of ammunition. We continue to call for a peaceful resolution of this conflict. And we will do everything possible to find and implement a diplomatic, political, peaceful solution," said Maia Sandu in Chisinau during the meeting with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis.
"The tragic situation in Ukraine should not make us forget that a long-lasting conflict is still ongoing in the territory of the Republic of Moldova. I declare Romania's support for the political settlement of the Transnistrian issue with respect for the independence and integrity of the Republic of Moldova, without affecting internationally recognized borders and the European path," the Romanian President said.
Earlier, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) officially recognized Transnistria as an area occupied by Russia. The relevant resolution was adopted unanimously. This is the first official document of the Council of Europe, where the region of Moldova was called the "the territory occupied by the Russian Federation".
Transnistrian authorities called the PACE resolution divorced from the reality, stressing that "any attacks against an effective peacekeeping operation on the Dniester, conducted for 30 years under the auspices of Russia, are extremely dangerous, destructive in nature."
The Foreign Ministry of Transnistria added that such statements "contradict the principles and approaches to a peaceful political settlement of relations between Transnistria and neighboring Moldova approved at the interstate and international levels."
There has been no official Russian response to the PACE resolution yet.
In 1992, battles for Transnistria broke out in Moldova which later led to a frozen conflict. The self-proclaimed "Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic" was declared in the territory of Moldova.