The Foreign Ministry of Ukraine has expressed concerns about the unlawful movement of Russian military equipment and weapons in the Transdniestrian region of Moldova escorted by representatives of the unrecognized republic.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine expresses concern about the actions of the Russian Federation regarding the violation of the regime of the Transdniestrian conflict security zone, in particular the unauthorized movement of military equipment and weapons of the operational group of Russian troops in the Transdniestrian region of the Republic of Moldova on June 14, 2018 escorted by so-called “law enforcement agencies” of unrecognized republic,” the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.
The ministry said that Russia’s failure to fulfill its obligations “undermines the trust between the participants in the negotiation process and creates an atmosphere of tension in the regional dimension.”
“We note that Ukraine consistently supports the position of the Government of the Republic of Moldova on the need for a complete and unconditional withdrawal of Russian troops from the country, in accordance with the decisions of the Istanbul Summit of the OSCE in 1999,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said.
As reported, on June 15, 2018, Moldovan Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Tudor Ulianovschi said that the UN General Assembly will consider Russian troops’ withdrawal from Transdniestria on June 22.
The proposed withdrawal concerns the Operational Group of Russian Troops, not the rotating peacekeeping contingent, which is part of the military component of the Joint Control Commission established by the July 21, 1992 Moldovan-Russian agreement on settling the Transdniestrian crisis, Ulianovschi said.
In defiance of this agreement, under which Russia is required to observe strict neutrality toward the opposing sides, Russian Operational Group servicemen have repeatedly participated in military drills involving Transdniestrian law enforcement, sometimes involving crossing the Dniester River with military equipment, the minister said.
