MOSCOW, July 22. /TASS/. Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined on Friday to comment on an earlier statement of Vitaly Ignatyev, the foreign minister of the self-proclaimed republic, about the republic’s drive to join Russia.
"To be honest, I read media reports, but I don’t know what this statement [of Ignatyev] is connected with, what sort of processes are involved," Peskov said. "I have nothing to say at the moment."
Earlier in the day, Ignatyev said that "Transnistria's foreign policy vector remains unchanged: it is independence and subsequent accession to the Russian Federation, which was approved at the 2006 referendum."
The unrecognized republic of Transnistria was established on September 2, 1990, on Moldovan territory on the left bank of Dniester River, inhabited by predominantly Russian-speakers.
Local residents opposed the actions of Moldova’s radical politicians, who sought the republic’s separation from the USSR and unification with Romania. Moldovan officials attempted to resolve the situation by force, which ended up causing over 1,000 deaths in the conflict that followed, while tens of thousands were injured or became refugees.
The war came to an end after a peace deal was signed in July 1992 in Moscow, and Russian peacekeepers were deployed to the conflict zone. Since then, the peacekeepers have been ensuring tranquility and stability in the region in cooperation with both Moldovan and Transnistrian servicemen, which enables Chisinau and Tiraspol to hold talks to settle the conflict. The OSCE, Russia and Ukraine act as mediators and guarantors in these talks.