CHISINAU, June 19 (Itar-Tass) - Moldova’s opposition Party of Communists has demanded that the latest developments in Transdniestria be discussed publicly, not behind closed doors as planned, party leader and former President Vladimir Voronin said on Wednesday, June 19.
“After the authorities of unrecognised Transdniestria had decided unilaterally to draw a state border line, we demanded that the parliament convene urgently. But we do not understand why it should meet behind closed doors. I don’t think there is something to hide,” he said.
Voronin recalled that none of the negotiation on the settlement of the Transdniestrian conflict has been confidential so far.
Earlier, the communist party blamed the Moldovan government for tensions in the conflict area, following its decision to set up migration posts on the administrative boundary line with Transdniestria to monitor foreigners who arrive in the region in connection with the upcoming liberalisation of visa regulations with the European Union.
The opposition believes that these posts do not fit into the logic of efforts aimed at restoring the territorial integrity of the country.
These plans raised concern in Tiraspol. “The introduction of unclear migration control on the Moldovan border cannot be called constructive because it infringes upon the rights of some 300,000 citizens of Russia and Ukraine who live in Transdniestria,” Transdniestrian President Yevgeny Shevchuk said.
“In this case, some 300,000 citizens of the Russian Federation and Ukraine living in Transdniestria will basically be outlawed and subjected to administrative penalties,” Shevchuk said.
He also accused the Moldovan authorities of “unilateral steps and unwillingness to negotiate for an agreement.”
Moldovan President Nicolae Timofti has accused Transdniestria of escalating relations with Chisinau in order to upset its integration into the European Union.
“We have seen this before. Whenever our country achieved a certain stage in the process of admission to the European Union, provocations were organised by Transdniestrians,” Timofti said after a meeting of Moldova’s Supreme Security Council on Monday, June 17.
Its participants discussed the escalation of tensions in the Transdniestrian region following the adoption of its law that unilaterally determines the borders of the unrecognised republic and measures to defend them.
“Moldova will never recognise this border,” Timofti said.
At the same time, he said that “Chisinau has to remain vigilant and to prevent provocations ahead of the upcoming Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius in November of this year, where plans for Moldova’s integration with the EU will be discussed.”
The president believes that the measures that may be taken to this end depend not only on him and parliament, but also on other countries, some of which, including Central European countries, are aware of the situation.
Timofti said he had talked with Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich to discuss Transdniestria’s decision to draw the borderline and asked Ukrainian Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara, who is the current chairperson-in-office of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), to address the issue and make a statement.
Kozhara expressed his concern over the negative implications for the Transdniestrian settlement process caused by the recent adoption by the Transdniestrian side of the so-called legal act on the border.
“Unilateral approval of documents contradicts certain provisions of the Agreement on the principles of the peaceful settlement of the conflict in the Transdniestrian region of the Republic of Moldova of 21 July 1992, as well as other earlier reached agreements between the sides”, Kozhara stressed.
The OSCE Chairperson called for making full use of the mechanisms provided by the Permanent Conference on Political Issues in the Framework of the Negotiation Process for the Transdniestrian Settlement as well as of other forms of direct dialogue for an open discussion on all pending problems, including the freedom of movement. He also called for refraining from actions and steps that could undermine confidence and adversely affect the atmosphere in the negotiations.