Tiraspol blocks Joint Control Commission's meetings for two months

Chisinau, 26 November /MOLDPRES/ - The draft agenda presented by Moldova’s delegation was supported only by representatives of the OSCE Mission and Ukraine at a meeting of the Joint Control Commission (JCC) on 26 November 2020, the Reintegration Policies Bureau has reported.     

Moldova’s delegation reminted the JCC members that, according to the 1992 Ceasefire Agreement, the setting of ‘’border guards’’ posts and the presence of other military structures than the ones which are members of the Joint Peacekeeping Forces is illegal in the Security Zone. The extended ignoring of these problems is dangerous, especially as it gives Tiraspol possibility to consolidate the infrastructure of the illegal posts. Such abusive actions seriously hit the fundamental rights and freedoms of the citizens from both banks of Dniester, as well as the balance of forces in the Security Zone.     

Tiraspol’s representatives categorically refused to tackle clear-cut decisions at the JCC meeting on subjects regarding the free movement and the citizens kidnapped in the Security Zone. For this reason, Tiraspol has been blocking the ordinary meetings of the Commission for almost two months, thus defying the basic acts of the peacekeeping operation.   

Meanwhile, other important elements remain outside the focus of the Commission, such as the weekly reports of the Joint Military Command on the situation in the Security Zone, working out the regulation on the functioning of the Joint Military Command, organizational problems dealing with the periodical change of the strengths of military observers, etc.  

Although the discussions lasted several hours, the agenda was not approved this time too and the ordinary meeting was postponed.

The participants in the JCC meeting ruled to hold an extraordinary meeting, by consensus. At this event, the Commission considered a single subject, approving the replacement, by rotation, of five military observers on behalf of Ukraine and two military observers on behalf of Moldova. The replacement is necessary, given the expiration of the term of stay in mission of the servicemen who have fulfilled these duties so far.   

The members of the Joint Control Commission will hold a meeting in Bender on 3 December.