CHISINAU, June 20 (Itar-Tass) - Moldovan parliamentarians have demanded the resignation of Defense Minister Vitalie Marinu·a, who told journalists that the Moldovan army was ready to give rebuff to the Dniester law enforcers. Representatives of the Communist party, liberal and independent deputies have voiced their demand for the minister's resignation at the Moldovan parliament on Thursday.
Representative of the faction of the liberals, Valery Muntyanu, criticized the minister for his "dangerous and irresponsible" statement which worsened tension on the Dniester, and demanded his resignation.
The deputies have to wait until Moldovan Prime Minister Yuri Lanke returns from his business trip in order to sack the defense minister; the communists have urged to vote no confidence in the defense minister immediately, Muntyanu said.
The statement, which aroused protests of the Moldovan parliamentarians, was made in an interview with journalists from Romania, when the defense minister commented on the relations between Moldova and the Dniester territory.
Earlier, communists from the opposition had put the blame for the worsening relations with Tiraspol on the Moldovan government, which is planning to establish migration control posts on the border with the Dniester region to check foreigners, who arrive in Moldova across the Dniester border, in connection with the preparations for the liberalization of a visa regime with the European Union.
"These plans have aroused concern in Tiraspol, which said that" the plan of introducing unclear migration control on the Moldovan border cannot be regarded as constructive because this might infringe on the interests of around 300,000 citizens of Russia and Ukraine who live on the territory of the Dniester region," said President of the self-proclaimed Dniester region Yevgeny Shevchuk.