The Russian military should be withdrawn from Transnistria, said Moldovan President-elect Maia Sandu at the first press conference after the elections .
"In Transnistria, there is a Russian task force, there has never been an agreement on this group on the part of Moldova, so the position of the state is that these troops should be withdrawn, and weapons should be removed from the territory of Moldova," she said.
According to Sandu, she intends to discuss this issue with Moscow. She also noted that the peacekeeping mission in the region should be transformed into a civilian one.
“There is no danger of military actions in Transnistria for a long time, the peacekeeping mission should be made civil under the auspices of the OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe). This is the position of Moldova, which I emphasize, ”she clarified.
The fact that in order to resolve the conflict in Transnistria it is necessary to withdraw the Russian peacekeepers from there, Sandu previously stated in an interview with the newspaper "European Truth". The current head of the republic, Igor Dodon, called this a serious mistake.
Representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova, in turn, stressed that Moscow regards the words of the elected President of Moldova as undermining the settlement process in the region. The diplomat recalled that the presence of the operational group of Russian troops in Transnistria, first of all, "provides the Russian peacekeeping contingent as part of the joint peacekeeping forces."
The second round of elections for the head of the republic took place on November 15. According to the Central Election Commission, Maia Sandu, candidate for Action and Solidarity, won with 57.75% of the vote . For Igor Dodon, who was nominated for a second term, 42.25% of voters voted. The inauguration will take place on the 20th of December.
Situation in Transnistria
Transnistria, 60% of whose inhabitants are Russians and Ukrainians, sought to secede from Moldova even before the collapse of the USSR, fearing that on the wave of nationalism the republic would join Romania. In 1992, after a failed attempt by Chisinau to resolve the problem by force, Transnistria became virtually uncontrolled territory.
This year marks 28 years since the beginning of the peacekeeping operation in the region. Peace in the conflict zone is supported by 402 Russian military personnel, 492 Transnistrian, 355 Moldovan and ten military observers from Ukraine. They are located at 15 stationary posts and checkpoints located in key areas.
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