The Moldovan government believes that the peacekeeping operation «has become a factor freezing the Pridnestrovian conflict» because of «the biased attitude and sympathy of the Russian peacekeepers with the separatist regime in Tiraspol.» Such a comment was released by the Moldovan government on the 25th anniversary of the peacekeeping operation in Pridnestrovie.
The government believes that the transformation of the peacekeeping operation into a multinational civilian mission with an international mandate «will contribute to confidence-building and create a more conducive atmosphere for the negotiating process to find a viable solution to the Pridnestrovian problem.»
«The Moldovan authorities have advocated and will continue to consistently advocate the withdrawal of Russian troops and ammunition which are illegally deployed in our country in violation of the Constitution and generally accepted principles of international law," underlined the government.
This is another anti-Russian statement by the Moldovan authorities. Earlier, other officials and politicians in Moldova also spoke about the withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers. In May, the Constitutional Court of Moldova called the Russian peacekeepers «occupiers». In July, the Moldovan parliament adopted a declaration on the withdrawal of Russian military personnel, who are part of the peacekeeping contingent, from the country. On the eve of the 25th anniversary of the peacekeeping mission in the zone of the Moldo-Pridnestrovian conflict, Russian citizens going to celebrations were refused entry to Moldova.
The special representative of the Pridnestrovian president on relations with Ukraine, Vladimir Yastrebchak, sees these statements as Moldova's desire to block political dialogue.
«Now they believe in Kishinev that the situation has changed, and they are trying to use the geopolitical context, the approaches of other players to achieve their goals through pressure, through some other methods. And for this purpose various methods of pressure, including joint posts, are used. Apparently, they have decided in Kishinev to make one more attack," Yastrebchak told our reporter in a telephone conversation.
Yastrebchak notes that the situation around Pridnestrovie «is degrading» and «is coming to the point where the attention of the international community is needed to prevent escalation.»
He emphasises, in the meantime, Russia's biased attitude is out of the question.
«The peacekeepers carry out their tasks in accordance with their mandate. The other thing, of course, is that they see the attitude of the local population, feel their trust. All this plays its role, which is why there is no biased attitude," said Yastrebchak.
