CHISINAU, April 6. /TASS/. The peacekeeping operation in Transnistria, conducted under the auspices of Russia, is the cornerstone of regional stability and security, and attempts to scrap it are unacceptable, the parliament speaker of the unrecognized republic, Alexander Korshunov, said on Thursday.
"The agreement on the principles of peaceful settlement of the armed conflict and the peacekeeping operation conducted under the auspices of the Russian Federation is the foundation of the entire system of regional stability and security," the speaker told an online roundtable on inter-parliamentary dialogue organized by the Russian Federation Council.
"Attempts to dismantle the peacekeeping mission are inadmissible and lead to new forms of escalation. Transnistria is in favor of preserving and strengthening the peacekeeping operation as it is the only guarantee of physical security for our citizens, and believes that its reorganization can be discussed only after a final political settlement is reached [between Transnistria] and the Republic of Moldova," the parliament speaker stressed.
He expressed concern about the deteriorating political and security situation in the region, pointing to the active militarization of Moldova by NATO and EU member states and regular joint exercises of the Moldovan army with the militaries of Western countries. The political course of Moldova towards breaking off relations with Russia and the CIS is also of great concern for the Transnistrian leadership, he added.
"Transnistria may soon find itself facing radical changes in the economy and trade. With logistical ties having already been changed, new opportunities are opening up for official Chisinau to put total pressure on Transnistria," Korshunov explained.
In the final remarks of his speech, Transnistria’s parliament speaker expressed hope for the further strengthening and expansion of Russian-Transnistrian cooperation both in political and socio-economic spheres.
In the summer of 1992, fighting broke out on the left bank of the Dniester between armed units from Moldova and Transnistria, which claimed the lives of over 600 people. In total, more than 1,000 people died in the conflict, and tens of thousands more were injured and became refugees.
The fratricidal war was stopped after Moscow intervened with an agreement on a peaceful settlement of the conflict signed in Moscow in July of the same year. Russian peacekeepers were introduced into the zone of hostilities. Today, they maintain peace on the Dniester River, along with peacekeepers from Moldova and Transnistria.