Statements of Moldova’s officials on the Russian peacekeepers’ withdrawal are ritualistic. Official structures have never estimated the consequences of fulfilling these requirements, considering they have no action plan for such a case. This was stated by the former Vice-Minister of Moldova’s Foreign Affairs and European Integration, director of the Institute of Diplomatic, Political Research, and Safety Assurances Valery Ostalep in an interview with the Sputnik Information Agency.
“It can be supposed that peacekeepers, as well as those who guard warehouses (with the old Soviet armament) in Kolbasna village, will be withdrawn by Russia. And what will happen on the next day? Will the Moldavian army or police invade it? And then, what will happen there? And if there will be any collisions, who will answer for it?”
The political scientist stressed that Chisinau isn’t ready to solve such an issue.
“Because nobody is dealing with this issue. They just took this phrase, which has been already known for more than 25 years old and, they are using it, as though it decides something... These’re very serious questions, which are necessary to be raised but raised professionally. However, where is the name and surname of someone who’s doing it? Maybe the reintegration apparatus is dealing with it? No. Maybe the Defense Minister is dealing with? This’s the first time I‘ve heard about that. And who’s doing it then? Nobody? And what’s our participation in such a process? Only in uttering such a phrase?!”
The operational group of Russian troops in Pridnestrovie is performing a peacekeeping mission, protecting warehouses with old Soviet Union armament in the Kolbasna village.
The peacekeeping operation under the Russian Federation's auspices is implemented in Pridnestrovie since the year of 1992 based on intergovernmental agreements. It’s recognized as one of the most successful in history: since the beginning of its functioning, the military engagement wasn’t resumed, not a single peacekeeping mission participant perished. Additionally to the Russian Federation, the conflict parties PMR and PM, as well as the military observers' group from Ukraine, take part in it.
According to existing agreements, Russian peacekeepers can be derived from Pridnestrovie only after the Moldovan-Pridnestrovian conflict settlement.
As the PMR President Vadim Krasnoselsky emphasized in an interview with RIA Novosti international news agency, no one, except Russian peacekeepers, cannot fulfill the function of maintaining peace on the Dniester river banks.
“This’s not only a peace guarantee but also a guarantee of the negotiation process continuation between Pridnestrovie and Moldova,” Vadim Krasnoselsky noted.
According to the PMR President, politicians’ statements about changing the peacekeeping mission’s format only lead to the conflict’s escalation.
Vadim Krasnoselsky several times appealed to the President of Moldova Maia Sandu with a proposal to start discussions on the Moldovan-Pridnestrovian conflict’s comprehensive settlement. There’s no answer yet.
As for the ammunition depots in the Kolbasna village, they were created in the year of 1949. In Soviet Union times, it was a strategic arsenal in the southern direction. In the early 90s, a significant part of the ammunition was brought to warehouses after the Soviet troops’ withdrawal from Eastern European countries.
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry official representative Maria Zakharova, about 20,000 tons of ammunition were stored there, 11,000 tons of which have expired. As Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted, the termination of control over their condition is fraught with serious incidents. In August 2019, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, during a visit to Chisinau, proposed to start expired ammunition disposing of.
The PMR President Vadim Krasnoselsky noted that Pridnestrovie doesn’t protest the obsolete ammunition disposal. However, the environmental requirements and, technological safety must be observed. Such a process should be regulated by appropriate intergovernmental agreements.
“I want to pay my attention only to one thing that reducing the quantity, the ammunition disposal is an internal matter of Pridnestrovie and the Russian Federation. If some Moldovan politicians want to speculate on the theme then they’re doing a useless thing. I don’t see their participation here,” Vadim Krasnoselsky emphasized.
