Moldovan parliament calls on Russia to withdraw its troops from Transnistria Saturday, July 22, 2017 11:30:00 AM

The Moldovan Parliament has called on Russia to withdraw its troops and weapons from the Transnistrian region, as stated in a declaration adopted by the parliament.

"Based on the provisions of the Constitution, according to which the Republic of Moldova is an independent, sovereign, unitary and indivisible state, and also in accordance with the permanent constitutional neutrality of our country and with a view to consolidating national and regional security, the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova declares that a permanent stay by Russian troops and weapons in the eastern regions of Moldova violates the constitutional norms of the state and the norms of international law, "the document reads.

The document emphasizes that the deployment of servicemen and the potential deployment of weapons, ammunition and military equipment on the territory of Moldova pose a serious threat to regional and European security.

Additionally, the members of Parliament called on international partners in the negotiation process on the Transnistrian settlement to initiate a political dialogue on the transformation of the military peacekeeping mission on the Dniester into a civilian mission with an international mandate.

"We urge the Russian Federation to complete the process of withdrawing its troops and weapons from the territory of the Republic of Moldova in accordance with the principles of international law and Russia's international obligations," the declaration says.

The Parliament instructed the Moldovan government to use all available mechanisms to adopt a UN resolution on the withdrawal of illegally stationed Russian troops from the territory of the country.

A limited group of Russian troops (about 1,600 servicemen) is stationed on the unrecognized territory of Transnistria, and more than 20,000 tons of ammunition are stored at military depots in the village of Cobasna in the Ribnita district.

The Pridnestrovskaia Moldavskaia Respublika (PMR), commonly known as Transnistria, declared its independence in 1990. At the same time, no UN member state has recognized the PMR as a sovereign state. The republic's "authorities" have repeatedly asked Moscow to integrate the territory into Russia. In 2006, the territory held a referendum in which 97.2% of local residents voted to join Russia; however, the vote was only recognized as legitimate by Russia.

As previously reported in July, Moldova has closed the roads for cars with Transnistrian numbers. Drivers risk being left without vehicles in cases of non-compliance.

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