Tiraspol, April 7. /Novosti Pridnestrovya/. The Foreign Ministry hosted a meeting between Foreign Minister Vitaly Ignatiev and the International Committee of the Red Cross delegation headed by Francois Muniz. The meeting was also attended by representatives of the Ministry of Social Protection and Labor and the Ministry of Health.
According to the press service of the MFA of the PMR, the meeting was held within the framework of the working visit of the ICRC delegation to study the humanitarian needs of Ukrainian refugees and residents of Pridnestrovie in the context of the current regional situation.
“Pridnestrovie is wide open to cooperation in social, humanitarian, and other vital issues. The events taking place in Ukraine, of course, influenced Pridnestrovie, Moldova, and other states,” the Foreign Minister stressed at the beginning of the meeting.
Speaking about the situation with arriving refugees and their accommodation in the republic, Vitaly Ignatiev noted that more than 27 thousand foreign citizens had entered Pridnestrovie since the end of February, of which 21.5 thousand have registered for continuous stay. Almost 1,500 people have used the centers for refugees, and now there are more than 400 guests in temporary residences, of whom about 150 are children.
Vitaly Ignatiev stressed that refugees in Pridnestrovie were attracted by the fact that Ukrainian is one of the official languages. This allows, for example, to continue teaching children in their native language.
During the meeting, the Pridnestrovian side drew attention to the fact that Pridnestrovie did not have targeted support from international organizations to resolve issues with refugees and, in this context, was forced to cope on its own. At the same time, citizens from Ukraine receive all the necessary assistance in full free of charge, yet the blocking of imports of medicines to Pridnestrovie by the Republic of Moldova threatens a serious shortage.
The Foreign Minister said that at the moment, for administrative and bureaucratic reasons, the Moldovan side has blocked all Pridnestrovian pharmaceutical company's shipments, which may significantly limit Pridnestrovie's ability to provide quality health care both to the population of the republic and directly to refugees in the future.
In this context, Vitaly Ignatiev asked the ICRC experts to assist in organizing a "green channel" for the import of medicines into Pridnestrovie until an agreement was reached with the Republic of Moldova on a sustainable framework for importing medicines. This, according to the head of the Foreign Ministry, will be the greatest assistance that can be provided to Pridnestrovie at present.
Vitaly Ignatiev also drew attention to the fact that Chisinau was not only blocking medical supplies, but also shipments with plant protection products, food products, and oil products. Such actions by Moldova are a serious destabilizing factor and significantly aggravate the humanitarian situation. Suffice it to say that the lack of several plant protection products threatens the sowing time and, as a result, the food security of Pridnestrovie.
The head of the ICRC mission, Francois Muniz, thanked for providing detailed information on the current situation and noted that he understood the concern of the Pridnestrovian side. The International Committee of the Red Cross will soon arrange an additional mission to examine the situation in greater depth and draw up a program of targeted assistance, including for Pridnestrovian families hosting refugees.
In concluding the meeting, the interlocutors expressed hope for the continuation of a substantive dialogue, further exchange of information on the current situation, and the speedy resolution of problematic issues.
