Tiraspol, 5 June. /Novosti Pridnestrovya/. For many years Kishinev has been questioning the usefulness of the peacekeeping operation and taking concrete actions to disrupt its mechanism, Pridnestrovie's foreign minister said during a press briefing on 5 June.
«The Moldovan leadership declares that the peacekeeping operation has been exhausted, that it is necessary to transform this mechanism and consider the use of a military police mission. There are various versions, but in practice, there are problems with the normal functioning of the Joint Control Commission (JCC) — the governing body of the peacekeeping operation," said the diplomat.
One of such steps by Kishinev was the expulsion of Russian diplomats, many of whom are JCC members, the minister explained.
According to him, this step was another link in the same chain of events: in past years Moldova blocked the JCC's work, hindered the work of military observers and refused to approve Russian members to the JCC. Many Russian peacekeepers were deported from Moldova, while others were barred from entering Moldova.
There have also been no joint peacekeeping drills for over two years. Only Pridnestrovian and Russian peacekeepers take part in such military exercises, while in practice there should be a functional interaction of all peacekeeping contingents.
Vitaly Ignatyev noted that in the emerging situation both Pridnestrovie and Russia «will undertake the necessary efforts to ensure the full functionality of the peacekeeping operation.»
«The peacekeeping operation ensures that peace is maintained and that the conflicting parties can engage in political dialogue," underscored the diplomat.
