Tiraspol, January 14. /Novosti Pridnestrovya/. The OSCE office in Tiraspol hosted a meeting of political representatives of Pridnestrovie and Moldova, the Pridnestrovian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vitaly Ignatiev and the Deputy Prime Minister of Moldova, Alexander Flenchea. The central issue was travel ban through the Moldovan-Ukrainian border of vehicles with Pridnestrovian license plates.
Since January 10, Moldova has banned vehicles with Pridnestrovian license plates from traveling through the border checkpoints of the Republic of Moldova. At the same time, you can drive from Pridnestrovie to Ukraine or Moldova with PMR license plates and with PMR driver’s license as before.
The PMR Foreign Minister Vitaly Ignatiev emphasized that Chisinau has taken those measures unilaterally without warning and in conditions when negotiations were ongoing.
“It is cynical to introduce some restrictions while we are negotiating. Especially during the New Year holidays, creating problems for people. We demanded that Chisinau abandon this. And we has turned to our international partners,” the PMR Foreign Minister said in an interview with press.
Political representative of Pridnestrovie said that the issue of car license plates, along with other pressing issues of Moldovan-Pridnestrovian relations, would be raised at meetings with the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Thomas Mayr-Harting. His visit to Tiraspol is expected next week.
As for the argumentation of Chisinau, Vitaly Ignatiev noted: “The explanations are very confusing and vague. They refer to 2010. The fact that Chisinau allegedly first allowed the passage of vehicles with our registration plates across its border, and then canceled that decision. ”
In an interview with reporters, the political representative of the Republic of Moldova, Alexander Flenchea, referred to some bilateral agreements with Ukraine. But, as Vitaly Ignatiev stated, there were no obstacles from the Ukrainian side. It is precisely the Moldovan Border Police that do not allow vehicles with Pridnestrovian license plates.
Chisinau also refers to the work of vehicles registration sites. In this connection, Vitaly Ignatiev emphasized that the decision on neutral license plates should also take into account the presence of Pridnestrovian driver's licenses for car owners. “Now this mechanism does not work fully due to Chisinau refusal from the signed agreements,” the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Pridnestrovie emphasized.
According to the PMR Foreign Minister, there are about one hundred thousand cars in Pridnestrovie. At the same time, Vitaly Ignatiev emphasized: “No one will go to register his car if he does not have guarantees for freedom of movement.”
