Transnistrian Conflict on November 15–30, 2010

Russian reaction to the letter addressed to NATO by Acting President Mihai Ghimpu

The letter addressed by Acting President of the Republic of Moldova Mihai Ghimpu to NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen that requests assistance for withdrawal of Russian military troops from Transnistria triggered the reaction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Russia. Andrei Nesterenco, the official representative of the Russian MFA, made a statement that the request made by Ghimpu should be viewed through the prism of the parliamentary elections in Moldova as a pre-election propaganda action. According to the Russian MFA representative the Russian peacekeepers are in the security zone, holding the mandate to maintain stability. In the same vein, Russian soldiers ensure the security of the weapon depots, remained in Transnistria since the Soviet era. Thus, the withdrawal of Russian troops from the zone would mean that the above-mentioned tasks would remain without executors. According to the same source, the Russian military contingent in Transnistria counts nearly 1,300 military men, who perform their duties to achieve political agreements before the restoration of Moldova’s territorial integrity and the development of a guaranteed status for the Transnistrian region.

Ukraine has reiterated its commitment to the territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova

Within the meeting held on November 16, in Kiev, with the representatives of consultations on the Transnistrian settlement, in “5+2” format, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Constantin Grishchenko said that Ukraine as a guarantor and mediator in the negotiation process would make every efforts to resolve the problem by peaceful means only, preserving the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova. Kiev meeting focused on discussing matters relating to the safeguards system in the eventual negotiation process, freedom of movement for persons, goods and services and strengthening of confidence-building measures. A week later, within the EU — Ukraine Summit, the parties have announced support for the resumption of negotiations in the “5+2” format as partners, who intend to work intensively in this respect.

German-Ukrainian-Russian consultations on Transnistrian settlement

On November 25, at the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry there were held consultations on the Transnistrian settlement attended by the diplomatic representatives of Russia, Germany and Ukraine. Grigory Carasin, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and Yuri Zubakov, Deputy Head of the Security Council, represented Russian side at the meeting. The discussion was limited to the need to resume negotiations in the “5+2” format.

Denials on statements related to solving telephone connection problem

On November 22, Transnistrian authorities have denied the information that the telephone connection between the two banks of the Dniester River was restored. According to the Transnistrian representatives the problem cannot be solved by unilateral administrative acts, but through joint efforts. Transnistrian administration considers incorrect the approach that the Transnistrian telephone operator should be registered in Moldova to obtain a license, as it was insisted upon in 2005. The problem is that the Republic of Moldova has decided to implement a new telephone numbering plan without consulting Transnistria in that period of time, in addition there is a problem with the money the Transnistrian operator paid to Moldova and the latter did not honour the contractual obligations. The representatives of Transnistria believe that as a result of the “match meetings” between Prime Minister Vlad Filat and Transnistrian leader Igor Smirnov a bilateral agreement is to be concluded on the settlement of telephone connection problem, which would be at the basis of all regulations in this area.

Transnistria addressed to the participants of the OSCE Summit in Astana

On November 30 Transnistrian authorities addressed to the participants of the OSCE Summit in Astana, which carried out its work on December 1–2, 2010, a message which highlighted the need for “approaching a balanced and objective attitude in decision making to avoid the escalation of tensions in the Transnistrian settlement process”. Transnistria, which was not represented at the Summit, called the participants to have an unbiased approach to the problem, based on the principles of good neighbourhood of Transnistria with the Republic of Moldova. At the same time, the Transnistrian authorities have accused Moldovan authorities in their message of using an unconstructive approach.

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