Russian foreign minister criticizes Moldova over Dniester peacekeeping
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has not ruled out the possibility of raising the issue of possible changes to the format of the peacekeeping operation in Moldova's breakaway Dniester region in the future.
"It is possible to settle the issue of introducing certain changes to the peacekeeping format but this needs to be done within the context of the overall settlement process," Lavrov told Russian journalists in Chisinau today. "I think that approaching the problem from the wrong end - saying that peacekeepers have to be pulled out first and then we will negotiate - shows that the situation has not been studied properly," the Russian foreign minister said. He was commenting on reports that acting Moldovan President Mihai Ghimpu had suggested replacing the Russian peacekeepers with international forces.
The Russian peacekeepers in Dniester region have been involved in exceptionally important missions such as the protection of large quantities of ammunition which had not been removed from Dniester region because the Moldovan side had effectively thwarted talks on the subject, he said.
Lavrov also expressed the hope that the new Moldovan leadership, once its composition was established definitively, would examine the situation thoroughly. "The new leadership still needs to study all the intricate aspects of the situation concerning the settlement process," he added.
Interfax news agency quoted Lavrov as voicing the hope that the arrival in power of a new leadership in Moldova would not negatively influence this country's participation in the CIS. "We prefer to base our judgment on the practical side of the matter and the practical side is that the Moldovan leadership has confirmed cooperation within the scope of the CIS," Lavrov told Russian journalists in Chisinau on Thursday 8 October.
He also said that the acting Moldovan president, Mihai Ghimpu, had confirmed such a position of Chisinau at his meeting w ith CIS foreign ministers. "He stressed that Moldova was still very interested in developing economic cooperation on this territory (the CIS - Interfax)," Lavrov added. He was also cautious over views that the new Moldovan leadership was pro-Europe.
Interfax, corporate-owned Russian news agency
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