Bendery, January 20. /Novosti Pridnestrovya/. According to information received by the Pridnestrovian side from credible sources, artillery systems emerged on the Central Section of the Security Zone from the Moldovan side on January 15. Oleg Belyakov, Co-Chairman of the Joint Control Commission from Pridnestrovie, said this in an interview with the Pridnestrovian mass media.
According to him, a convoy of 100-millimeter MT-12 guns proceeded to the southern section of the Security Zone, entered the Bulbocki test site, and then departed at night. In violation of the existing procedure, neither the Joint Military Command nor the Joint Control Commission was notified on time of this movement of military equipment.
“The presence of artillery systems that move along the Security Zone to the line of contact is of great concern and raises many questions,” Oleg Belyakov said. - What is the purpose? Where is the notification of the Joint Military Command, where is the agreement with the Joint Control Commission, where is the corresponding decision of the senior military commanders? There is none of that. This speaks of some arbitrary acts that lead to misunderstanding between the parties.”
The JCC Co-Chair noted that in the case when the parties control their armed formations and timely notify other participants in the peacekeeping operation about their actions, then some mutually acceptable solution can always be found. However, in this case, the Moldovan side tried to hide its actions.
“When an ambiguous answer comes to the request of a senior military commander from Pridnestrovie that this is supposedly not happening, although there are eyewitnesses who film the movement of military equipment on a cell phone, this is ridiculous,” Oleg Belyakov said.
The Co-Chair of the JCC from Pridnestrovie stated that recently the blocking of the JCC work by the Moldovan delegation and the attempts of the law enforcement agencies of the Moldovan side to go behind the Joint Military Command and the JCC`s back are of serious concern.
“We will make every effort to ensure that the dialogue between the parties is normal, effective, and productive,” Oleg Belyakov emphasized.
Recall that the previous incident in the Security Zone was reported in early December last year near the village of Kochiery, when Moldovan law enforcement agencies` employees, with the support of an armed unit of Moldovan peacekeepers, tried to pursue unarmed Pridnestrovian border guards who were on the territory of Pridnestrovie. The Moldovan side explained the actions of its unit by conducting a training session of the rapid response group, however, no notifications about this were received by the Joint Military Command.
By the current mechanism of the peacekeeping operation, any movement of military equipment in the Security Zone is only possible if the Joint Military Command is notified in advance under the control of military observers.
The Joint Control Commission was established in July 1992 to disengage the armed units of Moldova and the self-defense forces of Pridnestrovie under the agreement on the peaceful settlement of the Moldovan-Pridnestrovian conflict. The JCC, which included representatives from Russia, Moldova, and Pridnestrovie, set the buffer zone (Security Zone). Its length is 225 km, width is from 12 to 20 km. The Joint Peacekeeping Forces from among the Russian, Moldovan and Pridnestrovian military personnel became responsible for safeguarding peace in the region.
