Chisinau and Kiev can agree to grant a green corridor for the withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers, Moldovan Premier Pavel Filip said during the Security Forum in Kiev.
This political forum, which has been underway for several days already, is attended by both politicians from the Eastern Partnership countries - Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia - and representatives of NATO and the United States. The leaders of these countries have always made no secret of their anti-Russian policies, and this time they have not lost an opportunity “to make a declaration of love” to Russia.
Another statement by the Moldovan politician was not left without attention both in Moscow and in Tiraspol. Pridnestrovie’s ex-foreign minister Vladimir Yastrebchak believes that the Kiev forum would have hardly ever been possible without such statements.
"It is the venue that matters. He [Filip] said what he had been expected to say," said Yastrebchak, noting that through such agreements the Moldovan authorities were trying to shift responsibility for the possible withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers onto Kiev.
The politician also called "interesting" the Moldovan premier's viewpoint according to which the presence of Russian peacekeepers, who guard ammunition, is an obstacle to the settlement of the conflict.
"In my opinion, alienation from the reality of some of our colleagues in the negotiations is an obstacle to a peaceful political settlement. The lack of political will is the obstacle to the political settlement," underscored Yastrebchak.
According to the politician, discussing the corridors now goes beyond legal and political logic because "it's very strange to talk about the corridors when staying in the country [Ukraine], which has unilaterally denounced the agreement with the Russian Federation on the transit of Russian soldiers through through Ukraine."
In the meantime, earlier this week Ukraine's ambassador to Moldova Ivan Gnatishin backed Moldova's demands "on the withdrawal of foreign troops and ammunition from the territory of Moldova." He also claimed that Russian troops and weapons deployed in Pridnestrovie posed a threat to Ukraine.
This is an astonishing position for such a high-ranking and experienced diplomat, Vladimir Yastrebchak notes.
"If we took not only Ukraine but also regional security, then Ambassador Gnatishin would have to admit that the Ukrainian military observers are equally threatening peace and stability. After all, the peacekeeping operation (in the Dniester region - ed.) is conducted as a complex mechanism: Ukrainian observers are its integral part," said Yastrebchak.
