The barriers set by Moldova for Transnistrian vehicles wishing to cross the Moldovan-Ukrainian border were the highlight of the Thursday meeting of political representatives of Moldova and Transnistria Victor Osipov and Nina Schtanski.

“They told us that it was not a new measure but a decision adopted in 2009 but not applied since then for some unknown reasons. It was a strange step – especially after the agreements we reached recently in the sphere of transportation. And they also told us that it was their own decision. So, this is a signal that Moldova’s attitudes have changed and that the existing status quo has been broken,” Transnistrian Foreign Minister Nina Schtanski said.

“Moldovan and international laws require that Moldova should not let vehicles from unrecognized regions cross its border. Since 2010 we have neglected this requirement. Now we have decided to go back to it. We understand that this is an unpleasant surprise but this is not something new,” Osipov said.

“Naturally, we are urging our Moldovan partners to revoke this decision as it is contrary to the priorities we have outlined in our peace process. In this situation, we will probably be forced to apply countermeasures so as to protect our car owners and I can’t imagine what the Moldovan authorities will tell their car owners if we do it because of their unreasonable policy,” Schtanski said.

The meeting has shown that Moldova is not yet going to revoke its decision.