A regular meeting of the Joint Control Commission (JCC) took place in Bendery today. In the course of a debate Kishinev officials proposed to update the functions of military observers in the Security Zone. According to the Pridnestrovian delegation, their activities are strictly regulated today and do not require any enhancement.
«The Moldovan side under the pretext of enhancing the work of military observers is striving to change their operating conditions and functions. We know their activities are strictly regulated, preventing them from acting outside the legal framework, and are exceptionally aimed at maintaining peace in the Security Zone. The Moldovan side is actually proposing to vest law enforcement functions in them, including a denial of passage for citizens and cargoes, everyday issues, customs and border functions. We see it as an element of transforming the peacekeeping operation into a police and law enforcement mission," said Pridnestrovie's JCC chair Oleg Belyakov in an interview with a Novosti Pridnestrovya journalist.
The sides also continued discussing the unsanctioned flights of Romanian aircraft in the Security Zone. An inclusion of this issue on the agenda was blocked one more time by the Moldovan side.
«The Moldovan side does not want to consider the danger of such actions and ignores Pridnestrovie's demands to discuss this issue within the existing JCC mechanisms. In this connection, it would be very useful to resume the functioning of a helicopter squadron, which is still within the Joint Peacekeeping Forces," added Oleg Belyakov.
