CHISINAU (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th March, 2023) Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had a phone call to discuss support for Moldova in its efforts to enhance its own security amid Russia's alleged attempts at destabilization in the region, the Romanian Foreign Ministry said.
The telephone conversation between the two high-ranking officials took place on Monday, with the talks also focusing on the US-Romanian bilateral relations and defense partnership within NATO.
"The (Romanian) Minister of Foreign Affairs... reaffirmed Romania's firm, continuous and unconditional support for the Republic of Moldova, for strengthening its resilience and security and ... reiterated his strong condemnation of Russia's threatening and provocative rhetoric and recent attempts at destabilisation, stressing that US support remains essential in this regard," the ministry said in a statement.
The situation around Moldova and the breakaway region of Transnistria has been tense over the past weeks. In late February, the Russian Defense Ministry said that Kiev was allegedly preparing an armed provocation against Transnistria, which would be carried out by units of Ukrainian troops, including the Azov nationalist battalion (recognized as a terrorist organization and banned in Russia). The Ukrainian leadership has rejected the statement as false.
Mainly Russian-speaking Transnistria has been seeking to secede from Moldova since the collapse of the Soviet Union. In 1992, Transnistria became a territory de facto not controlled by Chisinau following a two-year military conflict.
