Tiraspol, 19 April. /Novosti Pridnestrovya/. Moldovan customs officers refused to admit a batch of medications going from Odessa to Tiraspol. The incident occurred yesterday at the Kuchurgan checkpoint and lasted for several hours. In addition, they demanded the disposal of medicines since the goods were not registered in Moldova.
As a representative of the medicine importer told First Pridnestrovian TV, an SBU officer and a Moldovan customs inspector came up to a truck with medicine at the checkpoint. They said that now goods should be cleared in Moldova and gave the phone number of a Moldovan customs broker. He, in turn, refused to register the medical goods citing the fact that they must be registered in Moldova. After that, the company's director turned to the senior customs officer from Moldova.
"I talked to the chief of the post, a lieutenant colonel. He refused to introduce himself. They demanded documents permitting [the import of medications] to Moldova... Demanded the disposal of goods," says the head of the company Vyacheslav Dmitriev.
As a result, the car with medicines was detained for seven hours.
Experts say that more than 60% of medical and pharmaceutical products that are imported to Pridnestrovie are not registered in Moldova. This means that they can be eliminated at a customs checkpoint in accordance with the Moldovan legislation.
The representatives of the Pridnestrovian company regard yesterday's incident as another manifestation of the country's blockade.
Pridnestrovian President Vadim Krasnoselsky mentioned this incident today during his meeting with the head of the OSCE Mission in Moldova, Michael Scanlan.
"Yesterday a cargo of medications was detained without giving any reasonable explanation. It was later released 'as an exception'," he noted.
According to the president, the next phase of joint Moldo-Ukrainian control at the border crossing point "Kuchurgan" puts the country's economic security under threat.
