Russian peacekeepers are present in Pridnestrovie by legal means. This was stated by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova, commenting on the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg`s words that Russia allegedly violates the territorial integrity of Moldova, TASS reports.
“We thought that NATO had reliable sources of information in, as Stoltenberg said, “the area of alliance,” and that those sources could tell him about the relevant Russian-Moldovan arrangements, agreements in that regard,” Maria Zakharova said.
She recalled that the presence of the Russian military contingent, which is an integral part of the joint peacekeeping forces deployed in Pridnestrovie and ensures protection of warehouses in the village of Kolbasna, was carried out on a legal basis.
“For 28 years of its existence, the peacekeeping operation on the Dniester has proved its effectiveness, fundamentally ensuring peace and stability in the region,” the diplomat said.
As the diplomat emphasized, Russia is committed to the scrupulous implementation of the mandate and tasks of the peacekeeping operation by its military contingent: "We proceed from the premise that this topic relates to the bilateral Russian-Moldovan relations."
“I would like to advise the NATO Secretary General to worry about its members, primarily the United States and their illegal presence, for example, in Syria,” Maria Zakharova added.
The need to withdraw Russian peacekeepers from Pridnestrovie has been repeatedly stated by the President-elect of the Republic of Moldova, Maya Sandu. Her statements were supported by NATO. The organization General Secretary, Jens Stoltenberg, said that Russia allegedly violated "Moldovan territorial integrity" by deploying peacekeepers in Pridnestrovie.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, commenting on Sandu's words, noted that Moscow was unlikely to be able to accept such statements, since they did not contribute to the Moldovan-Pridnestrovian conflict settlement. He also stressed that Russian peacekeepers were guarantors of peace and stability in the region.
The President of Pridnestrovie Vadim Krasnoselsky, in response to the statements of the elected President of Moldova and the NATO Secretary General, explained that Russian military personnel in no way violated the territorial integrity of Moldova, since they were stationed on the constitutional territory of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic on legal grounds in accordance with the PMR citizens` will, expressed in the 1995 referendum ...
The head of PMR added that any attempts to destroy the existing peace guarantee mechanism could lead to a Moldovan-Pridnestrovian conflict rollback to the situation of the early 90s. Due to the unsettled state and legal relations, Pridnestrovie and Moldova do not have a comprehensive agreement that would exclude the possibility of resuming direct military confrontation, Vadim Krasnoselsky explained.
Let us recall that Russia stopped Moldovan armed aggression against Pridnestrovie in July 1992. Prior to that, several conciliation commissions, including those with the participation of international representatives, tried to stop the war on the Dniester. However, the observer mission was unable to prevent the attacks of the Moldovan armed formations on Bendery in June 1992. The bloodshed only stopped with the arrival of the Russian peacekeepers.
The peacekeeping operation under the auspices of the Russian Federation has been implemented in Pridnestrovie since 1992 on the basis of interstate agreements. In addition to the Russian Federation, the parties to the conflict: PMR and RM, as well as a group of military observers from Ukraine were in attendance. The Russian Federation peacekeeping contingent is formed from the Operational Group of Russian Forces in Pridnestrovie.
The Russian peacekeeping operation in Pridnestrovie is considered one of the most successful in history: hostilities have not been resumed since 1992.
