Ukraine bolsters border with Moldova's breakaway region of Transnistria

[Hindustani78]

Soldiers cross a street in Tiraspol with communication material on their backs as unrecognized Transnistria readies to mark its 25th anniversary, on August 31, 2015 (Getty Images)
http://uatoday.tv/politics/ukraine-...n-troops-to-withdraw-from-moldova-800844.html
Russian weapons and soldiers stationed in Transnistria endanger both Moldova and Ukraine


Ukraine is ready to arrange a so-called "green corridor" for the withdrawal of Russian troops and weapons from the village of Colbasna in Moldova's breakaway region of Transnistria.

The agreement was reached over the weekend in Odesa, where Ukraine's Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak had met with his Moldovan counterpart Anatol Salaru, reports Moldova's Deschide news portal.

Salaru highlighted that Russian weapons and soldiers in Colbasna pose enormous danger for both Moldova and Ukraine. So, in this regard, the withdrawal plan for the Operational group of Russian forces should be finalized by the end of the year.

"We have discussed the creation of a special corridor for Russian soldiers, who are in Transnistria and for the weapons and ammunition stored at Colbasna. I was officially informed that the Ukrainian side is ready to prepare a corridor for the evacuation of Russian troops and weapons. We agreed that our experts will be sent to Ukraine to develop the technical side: to examine ways out of Moldova, and into entrance in Ukraine, where they will be able travel down the corridor," Moldova's Defense Minister reported.


Ukraine and Moldova want the operation to be held under the aegis of OSCE and UN.

"We will call upon international institutions to put pressure on Russia to withdraw its troops and army. We provide all the paths: sea, land and air," Salaru said.


Russia retains approximately 1,200 "peacekeepers" stationed in Transnistria, guarding large stocks of ammunition and military equipment left over from the 14th Soviet Army.

The Kremlin has refused to remove the current Operational Group of Russian Forces despite repeated pleas by Moldova and the international community.

In April 2016 Russia indicated it might withdraw its troops from Moldova once the problem with armament depots was solved. At the same time, Russian military officials said its troops are needed in Transnistria due to the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine.

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in this file photo taken on Friday, June 20, 2014, pro-Russian troops prepare to travel in a tank on a road near the town of Yanakiyevo, Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine. (AP Photo)

http://uatoday.tv/politics/self-pro...ects-withdrawal-of-russian-troops-801159.html
The self-proclaimed republic of Transnistria in Moldova reacted upon the plans for the green corridor to withdraw Russian troops from its terrotory, expressing its deep disagreement, the UNIAN agency reports on Monday.

"We think that unless there is an ultimate solution on the conflinct settlement, withdrawing Russian forces makes no sense, as it will escalate the situation and may lead to a renewal of bloodshed", the unrecognized republic's leader Yevgeniy Shevchuk claimed.

He also expresses his disagreement to proposals to replace Russian servicemen with civil observers, defreeze the conflict and involve NATO forces for the settlement, the initiatives made by some Moldovan politics.

Ukraine is ready to provide a green corridor through its territory for the Russian troops withdrawal, the nation's defence minister Stepan Poltorak was quoted as saying on Sunday, November 6.

Via this corridor, the Russian contingent in the self-proclaimed republic can be withdrawn from their base in the town of Koban, media say.

Also, Russsian deputy PM Dmitri Rogozin stressed on the necessity of consultations with Moscow on his Facebook page.

"Did they forget talking things over with Russia? Because it sounds like "Honduras promised to help Guatemala withdraw U.S. troops from Korea", he wrote.

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http://www.mil.gov.ua/en/news/2016/...close-russian-military-base-on-its-territory/
Minister of Defence of Ukraine General of the Army of Ukraine Stepan Poltorak held talks with Minister of Defence of Moldova Mr Anatol Salaru.

The heads of defence ministries discussed issues of cooperation between ministries of defence of Ukraine and Moldova and prospects of its development.

General Poltorak stressed Ukraine respected territorial integrity of Moldova and supported its intention to close Russian military base on its territory.

 

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Interfax news
November 12, 2016

13:15
Transdniestria interested in normal relations between Moldova, Russia - leader

 

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Interfax news

December 21, 2016

21:56
Tiraspol set to continue joint military exercises with Russia

 

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15:23
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http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/402878.html

Ukraine will be actively involved in the 5+2 negotiating format to restore Moldova's territorial integrity, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said.

"Only decisive joint actions can help restore the territorial integrity of Moldova, and I would like to firmly note the position of Ukraine, which supports the position of doing everything for the territorial integrity, independence and state sovereignty of the Republic of Moldova to be indestructible. Ukraine will work actively and decisively, including in the 5+2 format," the president told journalists after talks with Moldovan Prime Minister Pavel Filip in Kyiv on Monday.

The 5+2 format involves Moldova and Transdniestria as the negotiating parties; Russia, Ukraine and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe as mediators; and the U.S. and European Union as observers.

Despite Moldova having clearly declared its neutrality in its laws, Russian troops never left its territory, Poroshenko said.

"Today we agreed with Mr. Filip that only the return of Ukraine and Moldova into the European house can be a guarantee of peace, security and prosperity in our states," he said.

For his part, the Moldovan premier said the 5+2 format was discussed at the talks.

"We reaffirmed out position, that this conflict must be settled strictly in accordance with the principles of preserving the territorial integrity and independence of the Republic of Moldova. And in this context, I would like to express my gratitude to Ukraine for the support it gives Moldova in this process," he said.

 

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http://www.interfax.com/newsinf.asp?pg=2&id=736670

CHISINAU. Feb 21 (Interfax) - A committee to elaborate proposals for Transdniestrian settlement involving representatives of the president, parliamentary speaker and the prime minister will be set up in Moldova, President of the republic Igor Dodon said following a meeting with Parliamentary Speaker Andrian Candu and Prime Minister Pavel Filip.

"We stated that we have different opinions on many issues. We have absolutely opposite opinions on certain problems. Nevertheless, we should cooperate, as we represent the bodies of state power. An exchange of opinions is needed in order to ensure the functionality of state institutions," Dodon said at a news briefing on Tuesday.

Along with the issues of social security and the heightening of the living level the state authorities should also cooperate on other problems in order to elaborate a common position, the president said. The Moldovan leaders regarded primarily Transdniestrian conflict settlement among such problems.

"We have disagreements on many issues, but they should not exist as to what concerns national interests. We can name Transdniestrian settlement among them. We can discuss, but we should have a common position in order to settle this problem at the talks in the 5+2 format. We agreed to set up a platform to discuss and work out this position. A committee, which will involve representatives of the president, parliament and the government, will be created. Advisor for reintegration Vasily Shova will represent the president," Dodon said.

Independent experts, including international ones will also be involved in the committee, Parliamentary Speaker Andrian Candu said.

This was the first meeting between the parties after the presidential election on November 13, 2016.

They did not meet earlier, because they are political opponents and have different views on the primary issues of the country's development.

 

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13:05
NATO set to open office in Chisinau by mid-year despite Moldovan president's objections

 

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http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/425348.html

Moldova and Ukraine have opened the first joint checkpoint at the Transdniestrian section of their border, i.e. at the biggest border crossing point in the area, Kuchurgan-Pervomaisk, a government spokesman told Interfax.

"The purpose of joint control is to facilitate the movement of goods, vehicles and passengers on the 'one stop - one window' principle, including customs clearance of exported and imported goods in the Transdniestrian region, among them excised commodities," the report said.

The checkpoint opened in accordance with an intergovernmental agreement on the joint inspection of passengers, vehicles and goods at Moldovan-Ukrainian border crossing points, it said.

The agreement stipulates that Moldovan customs and border officers will be stationed at the Kuchurgan checkpoint in Ukrainian territory bordering the Transdniestrian checkpoint of Pervomaisk.

The joint control will be exercised in two stages. During the initial stage, which will last for about six months, Moldovan and Ukrainian customs officers will jointly control exclusively exports of goods from Transdniestria.

The Moldovan border police will monitor vehicles and passengers, register foreign citizens who cross the border in both directions, and notify interested persons of national migration laws.

The second stage will embrace control of exported and imported goods and also vehicles and passengers.

No restrictions or bans that may change the existent border crossing procedures will be imposed on Transdniestrian economic entities and individuals.

It will be possible to export and import plants and animal products to and from the Transdniestrian district with certificates issued by the Moldovan and Ukrainian phytosanitary and veterinarian services without any control or duty.

The joint checkpoint, which opened on Wednesday, is the fifth crossing point on the Moldovan-Ukrainian border and the first one in the Transdniestrian sector.

The authorities of the unrecognized Transdniestrian Republic strongly object to Moldova's control on its borders. The Transdniestrian foreign minister said earlier that the republic might invite Russian specialists for joint manning of its customs and border checkpoints.

 

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http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/444356.html

The Moldovan leadership has proposed that the UN General Assembly discuss the withdrawal of Russia's task force from the Moldovan territory, and the proposal does not apply to peacekeepers, the Moldovan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration said in a statement.

"Moldova's initiative of adding an item of the withdrawal of Russian forces from the Moldovan territory to the agenda of the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly does not relate to Russian servicemen participating in the trilateral peacekeeping force stationed in the security zone of the Transdniestrian region," the ministry said.

Media reports claiming that Chisinau has demanded Russian peacekeepers be withdrawn "distort the essence of the Moldovan initiative and texts of the documents submitted to the UN secretary-general," it said.

The Moldovan parliament adopted a declaration on the withdrawal of Russian forces from the Moldovan territory on July 21, 2017, and demanded that the government and the president promote the adoption of a relevant resolution of the UN General Assembly, which is why the appeal to the UN secretary-general had been made, the ministry said.

"The possible addition of the item proposed by Moldova to the agenda of the 72nd session will make possible a constructive discussion by the UN General Assembly of the unlawful deployment of the Russian task force in the country's territory for the past 25 years in violation of the constitution, the permanent neutrality, sovereignty, and eternal principles of the international law," the ministry said.

The task force established in 1995 comprises two separate motorized infantry battalions and a security and support battalion. The total strength of the task force, including peacekeepers, nears 1,700 men.

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http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/444368.html

Moldova welcomes the appointment of Viktor Kryzhanovsky as the special representative of Ukraine for Transdniestrian conflict settlement, as well as expects a new round of negotiations on the settlement as soon as possible, Moldovan Deputy Foreign Minister Daniela Morari has said.


"We very much appreciate and count on the support of Ukraine in the "5+2" settlement format and very much welcome the new appointment and are very committed to working with the person appointed," Morari said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine, when asked to comment on Kryzhanovsky's appointment as Ukraine's special envoy for the Transdniestrian settlement.


"He is not a new person, he already worked in this field. We are looking forward to see how we can progress on the settlement. We are looking forward to have new round of negotiations in the format of "5+2" as soon as possible," the deputy minister said.


She also stressed the importance of Ukraine for this process.


"The position of Ukraine, the support of Ukraine, the voice of Ukraine in this format is very important. We have a lot of understanding of Ukraine in this process. It is very important to commit from the highest political level and for the teams to work together on all this," Morari said.


As reported, on August 21, Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko appointed Viktor Kryzhanovsky as Ukraine's special representative for the Transdniestrian settlement.


The "5+2" format of Transdniestrian settlement involves Russia, Ukraine and the OSCE as mediators, as well as the EU and the U.S. as observers.
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http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/444375.html

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Moldova for European Integration Daniela Morari has announced the speedy launch of the road traffic across the Bronnytsia- Unguri Bridge on the Ukrainian-Moldovan border, and also stressed the importance of cooperation between the two countries in establishing joint customs and border control.


"We are working together with Ukraine in cooperation with EUBAM on the joint control of the Moldova-Ukraine border. It is very important to continue this cooperation… Soon we should launch the joint bridge in Bronnytsia. This will have a direct impact on citizens, for traffic and for trade," Morari said in an exclusive rapid-fire interview with Interfax-Ukraine.


She recalled that in mid-July the Pervomaisc-Kuchurhan joint border crossing point was launched in Odesa region.


The deputy minister said she was satisfied with the level of bilateral border cooperation between the two countries and expressed the hope for enhancing it even more.


"We are looking forward to have the next meeting of the intergovernmental committee for economic cooperation where we will discuss many, many sectoral and economic projects and initiatives of cooperation," Morari said.

 

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http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/444487.html

Ukraine will support the initiative of Moldova to deprive the so called Russian peacekeeping mission in the unrecognized Transdniestrian Moldovan Republic of grounds for staying in the Moldovan territory, People's Deputy of Ukraine (the Bloc of Petro Poroshenko faction) Iryna Friz has stated.

"Ukraine will support the initiative of the Republic of Moldova to deprive the so called Russian peacemaking mission in Transdniestria of the grounds for staying in the Moldovan territory. I emphasize once again: we must use all international mechanisms to ensure that the Russian military occupation contingent is completely withdrawn from Moldova," the MP wrote on her Facebook page.

She also welcomed the statement of Permanent Representative of the Republic of Moldova to the UN Victor Moraru and noted Ukraine is ready to provide full support to the Moldovan partners.

 

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http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/447158.html

Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova Pavel Filip expects the expansion of the air service between Ukraine and Moldova and the signing by the end of the year of a bilateral agreement on the liberalization of road and air transport, he said at the Second International Conference titled "Integrated Transport Corridors Europe-Asia" in Odesa on Friday.

"An important milestone, he said, is the signing by the end of the year of a bilateral agreement on the liberalization of road and aviation communications between our countries, as free access to infrastructure is important. We also expect the expansion of air communication between our countries," he said.

Filip also noted the importance of the quality of roads connecting, in particular, Chisinau and Odesa, as well as the railway part of the transport connection between Ukraine and Moldova.

"There can be no effective logistics without a developed transport infrastructure," he said.

In addition, Filip added that Moldova is interested in creating multimodal logistics

 

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http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/456403.html

Ukraine's Special Envoy for the Transdniestria settlement process Viktor Kryzhanivsky has called for intensifying the 5+2 negotiating process on Transdniestria (Moldova, Transdniestria, Russia, Ukraine, and the OSCE plus observers from the United States and the European Union).

Kryzhanivsky made this statement at negotiations he attended in Tiraspol and Chisinau on Thursday and Friday, the Moldovan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, told Interfax.

Moldovan Deputy Foreign Minister Lilian Darii reaffirmed at the meeting with Kryzhanivsky that "the Moldovan authorities remain open to determining a viable solution to the Transdniestria problem, provided that Moldova's sovereignty and territorial integrity is observed and special status is granted to the Transdniestrian region," the ministry said.

Darii also reaffirmed that Moldova insisted on removing Russian troops and weapons from the left bank of the Dniester River.

"The observance by Russia of its international obligations on withdrawing its troops from Transdniestria would promote the conflict's settlement process," he said.

Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration and Chief Negotiator Gheorghe Balan identified the principal issues on the agenda of the negotiations. In particular, he mentioned the need to ensure proper conditions for the normal functioning of schools providing instruction in the Latin alphabet in Transdniestria, unimpeded access of Moldovan farmers to their lands beyond the Tiraspol-Ribnita motor road, the removal of artificial obstacles to the free flow of people and cargo between the two banks of the Dniester River, and the opening of the bridge across the Dniester between the villages of Bacioc and Gura Bicului.

"These problems need to be resolved in a priority manner, which would have a favorable effect on improving the people's confidence on both banks of the river," Balan said.

Kryzhanivsky reaffirmed Ukraine's commitment to the intensification of the negotiating process on all of the existing forums to resolve the problems of Moldovan citizens, including in the Transdniestrian region, as soon as possible.

While in Tiraspol, Kryzhanivsky was received by Transdniestrian leader Vadim Krasnoselski, who said the unrecognized republic was ready to open traffic through the bridge across the Dniester River near the villages of Bacioc and Gura Bicului, provided that it is not used for military purposes.

Kryzhanivsky briefed Krasnoselski on his recent visit to Vienna, his plans to visit Brussels, and his meetings in Chisinau and Tiraspol to discuss "a number of aspects of preparations for a meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council."

"As far as I understood from our conversation with Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Wolf Dietrich Heim, the Austrian chairmanship is interested in achieving a certain result in the negotiating process by the end of the year. They are analyzing on what aspects progress is possible. The adoption of particular documents would demonstrate that a settlement process is moving ahead, albeit slowly," he said.