CHISINAU, May 29. /TASS/. President of the unrecognized Republic of Transnistria Vadim Krasnoselsky has called for continuing the Russia-led peacekeeping operation on the Dniester River as it is.
"Since independence, the Moldovan Republic of Transnistria has consistently called for resolving relations with the Republic of Moldova peacefully and preserving the current format of the peacekeeping operation as a guarantee of stability. I am firmly convinced that the existing practice of peacemaking has undoubtedly proven effective and thus should be upheld," he said in a message on the International Day of Peacekeepers.
Russian peacekeepers were deployed to the combat zone on July 29, 1992, in accordance with the Agreement on the Principles for a Peaceful Settlement of the Armed Conflict in the Dniester Region of the Republic of Moldova that the presidents of Russia and Moldova had signed in the presence of the leader of Transnistria on July 21, 1992. They maintain peace in the security area of separation along the Dniester River together with the blue helmets of Moldova and Transnistria, and a group of military observers from Ukraine. Chisinau suggests that a civilian mission with an international mandate replace the peacekeepers. However, Tiraspol points out that back in 1992, a similar mission failed to prevent an armed conflict, which killed over 1,000 people and left tens of thousands wounded.