Moldova asks Russia to withdraw troops from Dniester region
Moldova has expressed "concern about the protracted presence of foreign troops" on its territory and asked for the withdrawal of Russian servicemen and armament from its breakaway Dniester region.
Moldovan Foreign and European Integration Minister Iurie Leanca said at the 17th meeting of the OSCE Council of Ministers on 1 December that the full withdrawal of Russian troops and armament in line with decisions of the OSCE Summit in Istanbul would help "overcome the crisis around the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe and will be an important measure to bolster confidence and security in order to solve the conflict with the Dniester region".
Leanca said that the Moldovan authorities were aware of the contribution of the current peacekeeping mission to stability in the region, but noted that the time was ripe to start talks to transform it into an international mission of civil observers.
Leanca also spoke in favour of resuming settlement negotiations in the five-plus-two format immediately and unconditionally. He noted that this was the only internationally recognized mechanism, the goal of which was to find a mutually acceptable, long-term and viable solution to the Dniester issue by assigning the region a special status based on Moldova's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
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