Monitoring→Politics→Transnistrian Conflict

The US, OSCE, EU support Moldovan-Ukrainian border regime

The Republic of Moldova and Ukraine have continued to apply the unified customs regime instituted on 3 March at the Moldovan-Ukrainian border, including the Transnistrian segment, according to which only goods accompanied by Moldovan official customs documents are allowed through the border. The US, OSCE and EU have supported the implementation of the Moldovan-Ukrainian border and have deplored the attempts of the Transnistrian authorities to simulate an economic blockade by obstructing the region’s foreign trade activities. In particular the new customs regime has been supported by a series of UE Member States (Great Britain, Portugal, Latvia etc.), as well as by the most important EU institutions, which have issued a series of statements of support. Earlier, Javier Solana, EU Common Foreign and Security Policy High Representative, qualified the measures taken by Ukraine as “very important for the establishment of an orderly regime at the Ukrainian-Moldovan border, which for the EU is very important”.

The Russian Federation asks for the suspension of the Moldovan-Ukrainian border regime

The Transnistrian and Russian authorities have continued to call the actions of Moldova and Ukraine “economic blockade”. The range of statements made by Russian Foreign Ministry and State Duma condemning Moldovan-Ukrainian customs measures has been continued by the Russian Ambassador to Moldova, Nicolai Reabov, who held a press conference on 20 March in Chisinau. Reabov qualified the Moldovan-Ukrainian regime as “political action”, aimed at changing the political power in Tiraspol with one that would be more “receptive”. According to Reabov, to accomplish this, Chisinau first wants to establish the control over the entire foreign economic activity of Transnistria, undermine its budget and induce a social crisis. “The increase in the tension around Transnistria, caused by Ukraine’s joining Moldova’s attempts to include the region in its economic space outside of the negotiations format raises serious concerns in Russia”, said Reabov. He has warned of the destructive political and economic consequences and the possible destabilisation of the situation both in Transnistria and beyond and has called for suspending the recently implemented regime and organise talks between the parties.

These and other statements by Ambassador Reabov have triggered a tough reaction on behalf both of Moldovan officialdom and in particular the public opinion. The Moldovan Ministry of Foreign Affairs called “unacceptable” the behaviour of the Russian Ambassador and sent a message to the Russian Foreign Ministry stating that Reabov’s statements have “an overtly biased character and do not fit into the diplomatic dialogue between two sovereign states”. The Moldovan Ambassador in Moscow, Vasile Sturza, was convoked to Chisinau for consultations.

Asked to comment the statements of the Russian Ambassador, Ukraine’s Ambassador, Piotr Cialii, told a press conference in Chisinau that Reabov’s proposal to include the issues related to the registration of Transnistrian economic agents in Chisinau on the agenda of negotiations in the “5+2” format is unfounded because the problems related to the order at the border concern the domestic laws of a given country, but also the responsibility of each state. Within the same press conference, Cialii refuted the roomers whereby after the parliamentary elections Ukraine will revise its decision on the customs regime at its border with Moldova. “The guarantor of our position, as well as the guarantor of Ukraine’s Constitution is the President of the country”, the Ukrainian Ambassador said.

The “humanitarian crisis” in Transnistria — propaganda action

The Transnistrian authorities have continued to self-isolate the region to create the impression of an “economic blockade” on behalf of Ukraine and Moldova and to show its negative “humanitarian” effects on the region. Thus, the Transnistrian authorities allow intermittently the entry of Ukrainian good into Transnistria, intimidate the Transnistrian businessmen registered or intending to register in Moldova, increase artificially the prices on consumption goods etc. The late payments of wages of “state” employees and of pensions, as well as other social problems that the region has encountered for some time now, are now blamed on the so-called blockade. According to newspaper Novaia Gazeta (New Newspaper), it is suspicious that even the enterprises that are registered in Moldova, such as the cement factory in Ribnita, are stationing, while the workers and the pensioners are ordered to participate in the street protests against the “blockade” in exchange of financial rewards. The speculations of the Tiraspol authorities regarding the so-called “humanitarian crisis” in the region are supported by the Russian Federation, which sent to Transnistria 23 lorries with humanitarian aid in form of medicines and food stuff. The transit of the Russian “humanitarian” caravan through the Ukrainian territory has sparked a real diplomatic quarrel between Ukraine and Russia, after Ukraine asked that the caravan drives only at night time and all inscriptions are removed from the lorries.

At the same time, on 23 March, the Moldovan Foreign Ministry published a statement in which it condemns the attempts of the Transnistrian authorities to self-isolate the region and deny the existence of a “humanitarian crisis” in the region, calling the actions of Tiraspol as “propagandistic” and aimed to mislead the local population and tension artificially the situation. “It is all the more regrettable that these pseudo arguments of Tiraspol are accepted by some influential Russian circles. The interpretations by these circles regarding the Transnistrian region of Moldova are biased and to the detriment of the population on the left side of Nistru,” the Moldovan Foreign Ministry statement said.

The EU Border Assistance Mission supports Ukraine

General Ferenc Bamfi, Head of the EU Border Assistance Mission at the Moldovan-Ukrainian border, has denied the existence of a humanitarian crisis in Transnistria within the 4th coordination meeting what took place on 23 March in Chisinau. General Bamfi declared that the situation in Transnistria is peaceful and that the region has enough food supplies for all inhabitants. One can import to Transnistria food stuffs, the passenger traffic is fluent, only transports intended for transit are blocked. The companies registered in Moldova do not have the possibility to export goods because of the situation in the region, however, the employees of these enterprises continue to receive their wages, General Bamfi said. According to him, Ukraine’s decision to implement the new customs regime is a correct one, and the new regime corresponds to international standards and ensures the legality at the border. Dropping this regime would be a step backwards and would be in breach of legal order.

Summing up the results of the four months of activity of the EU Border Assistance Mission, General Bamfi stated that the cases of smuggling registered at the Moldovan-Ukrainian border to date have been insignificant and that the situation is under control. Bamfi also said that in the near future the Moldovan and Ukrainian customs services will receive equipment and technical assistance to monitor the Transnistrian segment of the Moldovan-Ukrainian border.

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