Tiraspol, December 8. /Novosti Pridnestrovya/. The people of Pridnestrovie support the Russian Federation peacekeeping operation in the great majority, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the PMR Vitaly Ignatiev said on the air of the Russian Zvezda TV channel.
He recalled that a historic referendum had been held in the republic in 1995 on the issue of preserving the Russian army in Pridnestrovie. Back then, almost 91% of those who voted were against the withdrawal of the 14th Army from the PMR.
The Head of the Pridnestrovian diplomatic department drew attention to the fact that the Russian peacekeepers and the Operational Group of Russian Forces (which is the training base for peacekeepers) were not located in Moldova, but on the territory of Pridnestrovie.
Vitaly Ignatiev also recalled that the Pridnestrovian legislation provides for criminal liability for denying the positive role of the Russian Federation peacekeeping mission in the PMR.
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 Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg said that Russia allegedly violated "the territorial integrity of Moldova" by deploying peacekeepers in Pridnestrovie.
In response to the statements of the elected President of Moldova and the NATO Secretary General, the President of Pridnestrovie Vadim Krasnoselsky 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 at the 1995 referendum...
The Head of the PMR added that any attempts to destroy the existing peace guarantee mechanism could lead to the 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 a resumption of direct military confrontation, Vadim Krasnoselsky explained.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, commenting on Sandu's words, noted that Moscow was unlikely to be able to accept such statements, since they do not contribute to the settlement of the Moldovan-Pridnestrovian conflict. He also stressed that Russian peacekeepers were guarantors of peace and stability in the region.
Let us recall that Russia stopped the armed aggression of Moldova 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. Yet, the Observer Mission was unable to prevent the Moldovan armed formations` attacks 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 are in attendance. The Russian 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.
