The permanent representative of Russia to the OSCE, Alexander Lukashevich, confirmed the continuity of the approaches to the peaceful settlement of the Moldovan-Pridnestrovian conflict at a meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna, the official website of Russia's MFA reports.
The speech of the Russian representative was a response to the report of the head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova Michael Scanlan on July 12. Lukashevich positively assessed the role of the tactics of "small steps" to create a trusting atmosphere between the parties.
He noted that it was Pridnestrovie that had made the first step, initiating the resumption of traffic across the Bychok-Gura Bicului bridge in 2017. Nevertheless, the speech notes that the process was difficult, the decisions were late and partial.
Thus, Moldova's "legislative restrictions on the search for mutually acceptable solutions with Tiraspol" have not been abolished and can immediately nullify the previous agreements.
Despite progress in relations between the two countries, Lukashevich noted that Moldova did not abandon attempts to strengthen its pressure on Pridnestrovie. Among them are political prosecution of politicians and businessmen, strengthening of Moldo-Ukrainian customs controls, barriers to the importation of combustive-lubricating materials and medicines.
Lukashevich also called destructive the adoption by the UN General Assembly at the initiative of Moldova and a number of co-authors of a resolution calling for "Complete and unconditional withdrawal of foreign armed forces from the territory of the Republic of Moldova". "The document runs counter to the policy declared by the Moldovan side for the settlement of the conflict and contradicts international agreements. To date, there are no necessary conditions for the withdrawal from Pridnestrovie of the Operational Group of Russian Forces (OGRF), which are engaged in securing the ammunition depots located since Soviet times in Kolbasnaya. It should be noted that even in this case Chisinau neglected the opinion of Tiraspol, which justifiably regarded Moldova's move as aimed at destroying the peacekeeping format that proved its efficiency in order to oust the Russian peacekeepers. Russia is the guarantor of peace and stability in the region," the Russian diplomat stressed.
He also underscored that "Russia is committed to the strict fulfilment by its military contingent of the mandate and tasks of the Joint Peacekeeping Operation on the Dniester, which creates the necessary conditions for the continuation of the Moldovan-Pridnestrovian dialogue."
Lukashevich recalled that the deployment of peacekeeping forces in 1992 stopped the bloodshed in Pridnestrovie, which is why the troops would continue to carry out its tasks under the mandate of the United Nations.
According to the diplomat, Scanlan's concern of the activities of the Russian troops is exaggerated and biased since the Joint Military Command and the Joint Control Commission were notified of the movement of military equipment on 23 June.
Also, the Russian representative was surprised to know that the OSCE mission was patrolling Pridnestrovie as this task is not included in their field.
