CHISINAU, September 23./TASS/. The leader of the unrecognized republic of Transnistria, Vadim Krasnoselsky, believes the peacekeeping mission under Russia’s auspices has no alternative, his press service said on Thursday after Krasnoselsky met with Deputy Speaker of the Russian Federation Council (upper house) Konstantin Kosachev in Moscow.

"The positive role of the peacekeeping operation on the Dniester was emphasized as well as the lack of an alternative to the existing format of the mission until the Transnistrian Moldovan Republic and the Republic of Moldova finally settle their relations," the press service said.

Krasnoselsky also expressed concerns over the development of relations with Moldova and the course of the negotiations, accusing Chisinau of noncompliance with the earlier achieved agreements He also placed responsibility on Moldova for Ukraine’s blockade measures against the automobile transport from Transnistria.

Russian peacekeepers were brought into the conflict zone on July 29, 1992, under the Agreement on the Principles for a Peaceful Settlement of the Armed Conflict in the Dniester Region of the Republic of Moldova. The agreement was signed on July 21, 1992, by the Russian and Moldovan presidents in the presence of the Transnistrian leader. Currently, Russian peacekeepers, alongside peacekeepers from Moldova and Transnistria and a group of military observers from Ukraine, are ensuring peace in the disengagement area along the Dniester.

Moldovan authorities are calling for the replacement of Russian peacekeepers in Transnistria with a mission of civilian observers under the OSCE auspices.