Participation of vehicles from Transnistrian region in international traffic discussed at meeting with diplomatic missions' representatives

Chisinau, 31 August /MOLDPRES/ - Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration Vlad Kulminski, jointly with Interior Minister Ana Revenco, representatives of the Foreign Affairs and European Integration Ministry (MAEIE) and other public authorities, on 30 August organized a meeting on the subject of participation of vehicles from the Transnistrian region in the international traffic, the Reintegration Policies Bureau has reported.

Attending the discussion were the leaders and representatives of the diplomatic missions accredited Moldova. They were informed that, starting from 1 September 2021, decision-makers would enforce the mechanism according to which the access to the international road traffic and the crossing of the Moldovan-Ukrainian state border will be allowed only to the transport means registered under the general provisions of Moldova’s legislation, in line with the protocol decision from 24 April 2018 and the requirements stipulated in the provisions of the Law No 170/2018 and Government Decision No 847/2018 and with the observance of the rigours stipulated in the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic from 8 November 1968.    

The foreign partners were also informed that, following an assessment of the situation and of highlighting of sensibility elements which might hit the interests of the residents from the left bank of Dniester (only 5 per cent of all vehicles from the Transnistrian region were registered with neutral plates), as well as of the need to undertake additional measures to minimize potential vulnerabilities, the Moldovan authorities have earlier made representations to the Ukrainian authorities to extend the action of the current regime of crossing the Moldovan-Ukrainian state border till 10 January 2022.    

The request was motivated by the fact that the protocol decision from 24 April 2018 provides for the mechanism of registration with neutral plates only for the vehicles which do not carry out commercial activities and for the ones of some legal entities registered at the competent Moldovan authorities and do not cover the operators which provide services of goods and passengers transport, many of which will no longer have access to the external road traffic, if the new regime is enforced.  Accordingly, the government has repeatedly asked the Ukrainian side not to apply these restrictions for the category of transport means for which the protocol decision from 2018 did not prompt a distinct mechanism of registration.       

On the next period, decision-makers will boost efforts to speed up the  functionality of the points of registration of transports means from the Tiraspol and Rabnita cities, in order to ensure their work at full potential and in accordance with the requests received. Also, decision-makers will ensure an active communication in the present dialogue platforms on the Transnistrian settlement, in order to speed up the settlement of the  technical aspects as regards the documentation of the transport means from the Transnistrian region, both through the light of the mechanism agreed on in negotiations and in the light of the provisions of the national legislation.    

The participants in the meeting gave clarifications to questions on the subjects on behalf of representatives of the diplomatic environment and gave assurances that Moldova’s authorities would do their utmost to guarantee the observance of the legitimate rights and interests of the residents from both banks of Dniester and avoid destabilizing situations and able to create hotbeds of insecurity.  

photo: Reintegration Policies Bureau