Moldovan foreign ministry's note on military drills from Transnistrian region

Chisinau, 5 August /MOLDPRES/- Military drills carried out for the first time ever by the Operative Group of Russian Forces jointly with the Transnistrian enforcement bodies have recently ended, according to information spread by the Transnistrian media. The exercises were aimed at “counteracting terrorist threats”, the Foreign and European Integration Ministry’s (MAEIE) information and media communication service has reported.  

Taking note of the drills’ declared purpose, MAEIE believes, at the same time, that such actions, in which foreign military forces illegally staying in Moldova and military and paramilitary subdivisions of a pseudo-state entity, unrecognized by anyone ,are involved, were defiant and inadmissible.

Judging by the declarations made by officials during the military drills, especially judging by the way the latter were carried out, including forcing the Dniester river by using armored machines, one may unequivocally say that the drills' real purpose was the other than the declared one.

Moreover, the fact that the military drills were organized without proper information and coordination cannot be perceived but as a demonstration of force and defiance to mechanisms of negotiations and peacekeeping.

Such actions flagrantly undermine the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Moldova, principles which the Russian leadership repeatedly committed to observe openly and univocally.

In this context, the ministry underlines the need to relaunch the dialogue, including the five-plus-two one, on  resuming the withdrawal of the Russian military forces and ammunition from Moldova and turning the current peace-keeping operation into a multinational civil mission with international mandate.

(Editor M. Jantovan)