Moldova worried about Transnistria's intent to expand military might in security zone
The presence of illegal border guard units of the self-proclaimed Transnistrian republic, as well as the intention of the Tiraspol authorities to set a floating bridge with a 3.5-ton capacity over the Dniester river may destabilize the situation in the security zone, Moldova's delegation in the Joint Control Commission [JCC, a trilateral peacekeeping body] has said.
At a 17 February JCC meeting, Moldova's delegation repeatedly asked for the withdrawal of border guard units that the Transnistrian authorities illegally set in the security zone in the past years. Moldova's co-chairman in the commission, Ion Solonenco, said that the presence of these military formations in the security zone seriously breaches the provisions of the 1992 ceasefire agreement.
The delegation gave as example the setting of a Transnistrian border guard unit in the village of Zagornoioe, where a peacekeeping post used to placed. Solonenco called on the Joint Military Command to take a stance on this issue. The Transnistrian delegation tried to demonstrate that when it comes to border guard posts, the Transnistrian authorities have the right to unilaterally decide as the JCC's consent is not needed.
The Moldovan delegation also showed concern about the intention to build a floating bridge over the Dniester with the involvement of the law enforcement bodies. Given that the bridge is to be built on the venue where the Transnistrian law enforcers used to stage military drills, the delegation feared that the bridge would be used to ship military hardware over the river.
At the same meeting, the JCC approved the candidacy of Lieutenant-Colonel Eduard Rusu as Moldova's military observer in the security zone.
Moldpres
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