Moscow, Nov. 15 (Interfax) - The presence of Russian peacekeepers in Transdniestria is a firm guarantee of regional security and serves the interests of both Tiraspol and Chisinau, the Russian Foreign Ministry's official spokesman Alexander Nesterenko said in a statement posted on the ministry's website on Monday.
The statement came in response to Moldovan Acting President Mihai Ghimpu’s address to NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen in which he asked him to assist in promoting a Russian troop withdrawal from Transdniestria.
"Leaving aside the propaganda aspect ahead of the late November snap parliamentary elections in Moldova, this is actually a message to Russian peacekeepers who are in Transdniestria as part of an international peacekeeping operation and also to guard a major Soviet-era ammunition depot on its territory," the statement says.
"The first component is in the security zone with a mandate to assist in maintaining stability on the Dniester and towards creating conditions for further peace talks on a settlement. The second one is performing an equally important task," it says.
The less than 1,300-strong Russian continent has coped well with the job which is seen as an important element in restoring the territorial integrity of Moldova and working out a reliable status for Transdniestria, Nesterenko said.
The ultimate responsibility for the peace process rests with Chisinau and Tiraspol, he said, adding that Russian mediators were always at their disposal, "and this is well known at international headquarters in Brussels and Vienna".
