Pridnestrovians have been watching the political events taking place in the neighboring Republic of Moldova with concern for many years, while chaotically successive generations of the Moldovan political class exert targeted destructive pressure on the existing peacekeeping mission on the Dniester, which has been protecting the lives of thousands of Pridnestrovian and Moldovan people for more than 28 years.
This alarm flared up with new vigor when Maya Sandu, who won the presidential elections in the Republic of Moldova, began to demand the Russian troops withdrawal from the Russian leadership and call on international organizations to replace the peacekeeping operation on the banks of the Dniester with a civilian observer mission under the auspices of the OSCE before taking office.
In her statements, the elected President of the Republic of Moldova deliberately plays with concepts, demonstratively separating the Operational Group of Russian Forces (OGRF) from an inherently unified peacekeeping mechanism, which nips any thoughts about ending the negotiation process between Pridnestrovie and Moldova, as well as the resumption of the armed conflict and attempts to unite Pridnestrovie by force in the bud.
The Head of Moldova deliberately remains silent about the fact that the parameters of the peacekeeping operation and the status of military units that had at the time of signing the status of the 14th Army of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are clearly defined in the fundamental Agreement "On the principles of the peaceful settlement of the armed conflict ..." of July 21, 1992, signed by the leaders of Russia and Moldova in the presence of Pridnestrovian representatives.
Cynically ignoring the Pridnestrovian inhabitants` will, the elected President of the Republic of Moldova lacks attention to the 1995 referendum results, in which 92.4% of the citizens of the PMR spoke in favor of preserving the 14th Army. In accordance with the popular vote results, Russian troops are legally located on the territory of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, without violating Republic of Moldova territorial integrity.
Declaring the need to transform the current peacekeeping operation under the auspices of Russia into a civilian mission with the international mandate, the leader of Moldova and other Moldovan politicians forget that the parties to the conflict already had their bad experience of deploying a four-sided mission of military observers from Moldova, Romania, Russia and Ukraine in 1992. This format was not able to consolidate peace on the banks of the Dniester, as well as prevent further aggression of the Republic of Moldova against Pridnestrovie and hundreds of deaths.
The leadership of Moldova completely refuses to recognize the fact that any issues regarding the format of the current peacekeeping mission, including the status of the OGRF, can only be discussed after a comprehensive and sustainable settlement of the Moldovan-Pridnestrovian conflict was achieved within the framework of the current multilateral negotiation process.
Instead of conducting a constructive open dialogue, Pridnestrovie and all international partners only observe attempts from Moldova to exert unilateral pressure on our republic through economic blockades, failure to fulfill its obligations within the framework of the agreements reached and the creation of new artificial problems that impede the normal human life of Pridnestrovian citizens and Moldova itself.
Realizing the futility of such statements, the Republic of Moldova is taking systematic steps aimed at disrupting the scheduled meetings of the Joint Control Commission, introducing discord in the activities of the legitimate mechanisms of military observers and the Joint Military Command, their actual substitution of "civil monitoring" of the OSCE and inclusion of toxic issues on the agenda of the Commission not related to its competence.
We draw the Russian Federation leadership and the entire international community attention to the fact that the rhetoric established in the elected President of Moldova Maya Sandu`s actions is an attempt to unleash another bloodshed on the banks of the Dniester and return to the 1992 situation.
We ask the international community and especially the Russian Federation to take all necessary measures to protect the current format of the peacekeeping operation and prevent its reformatting, as well as to maintain stability and security on the Dniester and save thousands of lives. The people of Pridnestrovie will defend their right to live in their native land by all available means.
We take this opportunity to reiterate the assurances of our highest esteem.
Adopted by the Presidium of the RSM JLC Pridnestrovie on December 14, 2020
