Claus Neukirch, the head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova, expressed concerns on Friday over transport restrictions on the border with Ukraine that Chisinau and the breakaway region of Trasnistria had put forward against each other
CHISINAU (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th January, 2020) Claus Neukirch, the head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova, expressed concerns on Friday over transport restrictions on the border with Ukraine that Chisinau and the breakaway region of Trasnistria had put forward against each other.
Since January 10, Moldovan border police temporarily restricted the crossing of the border with Ukraine for Transnistria-registered vehicles. Earlier on Friday, the Transnistrian Foreign Ministry announced tit-for-tat restrictions, starting from January 24, for Moldovan vehicles crossing the border with Ukraine from Transnistria.
"I am concerned about the recent events that may negatively affect the freedom of movement of the population on both banks of the Dnister river. We are actively continuing our mediation efforts to avoid this," Neukirch said in a statement, posted by the mission in Russian.
He expressed belief that both sides would demonstrate "wisdom and responsibility" in the interests of maintaining the "positive" path of the conflict settlement in the region.
Transnistria, which is mostly populated by ethnic Russians and Ukrainians, seceded from Moldova in 1990, fearing the latter's possible reunion with Romania. The split led to an armed conflict that ended in a 1992 ceasefire. Moldova has offered the region autonomy, while Transnistria seeks international recognition.
