CHISINAU, March 18. /TASS/. Transnistria is concerned with the new Ukrainian law that allows the country’s president to deploy military forces to other countries, Oleg Belyakov, Transnistria’s co-chairman of the Joint Control Commission (JCC) for the peacekeeping operation, told TASS on Tuesday.
"We are concerned that this law may be directed against Transnistria, particularly in view of statements repeatedly made by some politicians in Kiev regarding this issue," he said. "The Ukrainian army is unlikely to see the need to invade other neighboring countries that are helping it - Romania, Hungary, Slovakia or Poland."
"However, in our situation, Kiev will need to resolve this issue with the authorities of Moldova, which still considers Transnistria to be a part of its territory," Belyakov continued. "As far as I know, Chisinau opposes such a scenario and is interested in maintaining peace."
"Despite the tense situation in the region, the Moldovan delegation participates regularly in the work of the JCC along with the Transnistrian and Russian delegations as well as representatives from the OSCE [the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe] and Ukraine, who even expanded their participation in the commission," he noted.
Belyakov stressed that due to this joint work stability is being maintained in the conflict’s security separation zone, which is under the joint control of peacekeeping forces.
"At the same time, we are worried about the military activities of the Moldovan leadership, which, despite the neutral status set out by the Constitution, keeps boosting cooperation with NATO and purchases more weapons," he noted.
"Joint military drills with the alliance’s member states are on the rise, and most of them take place at training grounds located near the security zone. This definitely raises concerns both in Transnistria and among the command of the joint peacekeeping forces," Belayakov added.
Russian peacekeepers were introduced into the armed conflict zone following the signing of an agreement with Moldova on July 21, 1992, for the peaceful settlement of the Transnistrian conflict. Currently, the Russian military works alongside the blue helmets of Moldova and Transnistria to maintain peace in the region.
The Operational Group of Russian Forces (OGRF), consisting of around 1,000 troops and officers, is stationed on the left bank of the Dniester River. Its primary task is to guard warehouses storing over 20,000 tons of ammunition that remained after the withdrawal of Soviet troops from European countries.
Additionally, the OGRF supports peacekeepers who have been effectively blockaded since 2015, after Ukraine blocked their supply routes through its territory. The rotation of OGRF personnel has also been hindered by Moldova, which is pushing for their withdrawal.
Chisinau insists on the withdrawal of the OGRF and proposes replacing the peacekeepers with a civilian mission under an international mandate. However, Tiraspol opposes this idea, pointing out that a similar mission was unable to prevent fighting in 1992, which resulted in over 1,000 deaths and tens of thousands of injuries.