28/7 Tass 350
TIRASPOL, July 28 (Itar-Tass) — Moldova’s central government in Chisinau is striving to eliminate Russian military presence in the Dniester region, the Foreign Ministry of the unrecognized breakaway Dniester Republic said in a statement Thursday.
It issued the statement in the wake of Chisinau’s demands to dispatch a four-partite observer mission to watch the scheduled rotation of armored vehicles in the Russian peacekeeping units.
The Dniester Foreign Ministry said these demand run counter to the 1992 agreement on the principles of peace settlement of the Dniester armed conflict.
The latter document says that subject to control by military observers are the actions of the parties to the conflict but not the steps taken by guarantor countries.
“Chisinau’s demands are tantamount to an attempt to meddle with the internal affairs of the Russian peacekeeping contingent and manifest an outright violation of the procedures and rules of the peacekeeping operation,” the Foreign Ministry said.
“Such actions prove the Moldovan authorities remain uninterested in a fruitful dialogue with the Dniester Republic and their policies are oriented at elimination of Russia’s military presence in this part of Europe,” the statement said.
“Moldova has made this step to suit the petty political interests of its governmental quarters and certain outside players,” it said.
The Foreign Ministry has asked the guarantor countries – Russia and Ukraine – as well as the mediators and observers at the talks to pay attention “to the destructive conduct of the Moldovan delegation to the United Control Commission, which steers the peace process in the region.”
The statement recalled that the introduction of the Russian military contingent in the zone of conflict 19 years ago was the major factor in establishing ceasefire between the warring sides and attaining durable peace in the Dniester region.