Prime Minister Pavel Filip called on the delegates of the states participating in the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly to support Moldova’s request to include the pullout of the foreign military troops from its territory in the session’s agenda, IPN reports.

In his speech, the Premier said the illegal stay of the Russian troops on Moldova’s territory amplifies the Transnistrian conflict. Pavel Filip noted there are no religious or ethnic antagonisms between the people living on the two sides of the Nistru and the population can coexist peacefully in a reunified state.

According to the Prime Minister, despite the efforts made during the past 25 years, with the involvement of foreign players, a solution to this political conflict hasn’t been identified. “For us, it is very important for Moldova’s sovereignty and territorial integrity to be observed and the solution should envision a special status for the Transnistrian region, as it is stipulated in the OSCE documents,” stated Pavel Filip, noting that the current peacekeeping format that involves a Russian contingent should be transformed into a civil mission under an international mandate.

Contrary to expectations, Russia didn’t withdraw its army in accordance with the commitments made in 1992. The military exercises staged in the Transnistrian region by the Russian troops are a challenge to Moldova’s security and go against the commitments to respect Moldova’s status of neutrality.

According to OSCE reports, there are more than 21,000 tonnes of munitions in the storehouse of the Operational Group of Russian Troops in Transnistria and the Government of Moldova does not supervise and does not control these owing to the lack of access.

“We firmly reiterate the request to fully and unconditionally pull out the so-called Operational Group of Russian Troops that is the successor of the former 14th Army and that stays illegally on Moldova’s territory,” said Pavel Filip.

In his speech, the Premier also spoke about the reform process launched by the Moldovan authorities and reasserted Moldova’s commitment to support the UN’s efforts aimed at overcoming the current threats to international security.