Joint Control Commission holds meeting

Chisinau, 15 July /MOLDPRES/ - Moldova’s delegation, at a today’s meeting of the Joint Control Commission (JCC) in Bender, reiterated the need to consider the issue on the illegal presence of so-called ‘’border guards’’ in the Security Zone as element of risk for the free movement and other fundamental rights of the citizens, the Reintegration Policies Bureau has reported.

In the context, the Moldovan delegation re-brought to attention the subject implying the carrying out of an analysis of the situation emerged in the Security Zone starting from 1 May 2019, when the Transnistrian side resorted the supplementing of the ‘’border guard’’ forces, abusively giving them competences of control over citizens. The initiative to take a decision on this issue belongs to Russia’s delegation, which launched it back in July 2019. Being constantly rejected by the Transnistrian side, the subject eventually failed to be on the JCC’s official agenda and the Russian delegation withdrew it much time ago, invoking the need of additional consultations. At the meeting from 15 July, Russia’s representatives said they were ready to discuss the subject which they had initiated themselves.

As for a proposal by the Moldovan delegation to include the work of the ‘’border guard’’ forces in the Security Zone on the agenda, Russia’s delegation invoked the necessity of additional consultations and Tiraspol’s representatives categorically turned down the discussing of this topic.  

Another blockage outlined in the work of the Joint Control Commission deals with the ‘’border guard’’ post abusively set by Tiraspol between the Zahorna and Copanca settlements. Representatives of the OSCE Mission in Moldova, who since January 2019 have been coordinating a working group set up by JCC specially for elucidating the concerned issue, evoked that this group ‘’floundered,’’ for reasons that the Joint Military Command does not submit the set of documents concerning the Zahorna-Copanca post, received from the local public administration and citizens during years.

At the same time, on 7-13 July 2021, the military observers documented the presence of concrete blocks for restricting the movement between the settlements Corjova and Cocieri and Moldova’s delegation asked the Transnistrian side to remove them without delay.   

Moldova’s delegation opines that the aforementioned circumstances highlight the danger of the illegal presence of ‘’border guards’’ in the Security Zone, who, as the reality proves, destabilize the situation in the region, hinder the free movement, trigger the infringement of other fundamental human rights and make tense the activity within the Joint Control Commission.  

The Commission managed to approve an action plan meant to improve the conditions of the service at the Joint Peacekeeping Forces posts, placed nearby the Vadul lui Voda settlement. As a result of the actions due to be carried out till the end of this year, the post on the left bank of Dniester will be re-placed, so that the road between Cosnita and Balabanesti is de-blocked and so that there are no obstacles to the movement of citizens and transport means.   

The serious incident with the involvement of two employees of the Dubasari police inspectorate, which occurred in the Security Zone, when the Commission held its meeting, emphasized that Tiraspol fully defies both the acts of the peacekeeping operation at Dniester and the fundamental human rights. Policemen were stopped in traffic by representative of mgb (so-called state security ministry) on the road between Dorotcaia and Grigoriopol and then they were forcibly carried to the headquarters from Grigoriopol of this illegal structure.

Moldova’s delegation condemns these absolutely illegal actions and, along with the national authorities, initiated measures necessary for clearing up the case and unconditional release of the citizens concerned.  

photo: Reintegration Policies Bureau