The negotiations on Moldova’s entry into the European Union can last endlessly as long as we have a foreign army on the counter’s territory. Moldova can join the EU and is welcomed into this, not yet the army of the Russian Federation. On the one hand, this is a challenge. On the other hand, if the Republic of Moldova is granted the candidate country status, this would be an additional reason to make increased effort to resolve the Transnistrian dispute, including the issue of foreign military presence, director of the Association “Initiative for Peace” Alexandru Flenchea, ex-Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration, stated in a news conference at IPN entitled “Blue Helmets” – case of the Republic of Moldova”, which was organized by Promo-LEX Association.
Alexandru Flenchea noted that the maintaining of the peacekeeping missions in the Security Zone is in the interests of the Russian Federation and the Transnistrian region, even if these realize the inefficiency of the format. But the two sides insist on the peacekeeping mission so as to have legal coverage for perpetuating the Russian military presence on Moldova’s territory.
“During these 30 years since we have “the most successful operation”, since the war ended, two incidents with the use of firearms occurred. Two times guns were fired and a person was killed. In both of the cases, the peacekeepers themselves caused the problem and committed the violation (and murder). Statistics reveal hundreds of cases of serious violations of the regime in the Security Zone, including human rights violation. During three decades, thousands of violations that the peacekeepers could not prevent were witnessed,” explained Alexandru Flenchea.
Promo-LEX executive director Ion Manole said the so-called peacekeeping missions didn’t achieve any goal, except for the stopping of military tensions in 1992. But the belligerent parties form part of these missions. “It is something to turn from aggressor into peacekeeper, mediator and guarantor state and everyone should realize this. These subjects should be discussed profoundly or problems that could not be stopped will appear. We see what is going on in Ukraine. This war didn’t appear during a day. The way had been paved for a period. The population had been manipulated and this conflict was reached. That’s why the citizens should have a say,” stated Ion Manole.
The director of Promo-LEX noted that the human rights are violated on the left side of the Nistru and in the Security Zone, where there are those peacekeepers. Ion Manole called on the people and the authorities to plead and fight for the basic human rights and freedoms.
Irina Tabaranu, journalist in the Security Zone, said that the human rights on the left side of the Nistru are violated and the last decisions taken by the Transnistrian authorities confirm this. Now the people in Transnistria will be punished criminally if they go to constitutionally reorganized courts in the Republic of Moldova or to the European Court of Human Rights. “We must speak about these things and ask the international community, which has instruments, to change the situation and to talk to the so-called authorities on the left side of the Nistru. This law should not be applied as the consequences of this law, like not criticizing the peacekeeping mission, will be even more serious,” explained the journalist.
The conference forms part of the series of conferences held as part of IPN News Agency’s project “Support for the Justice Reform through multimedia coverage of cases of alleged injustice”. The Agency does not bear responsibility for the public statements made in the public sphere by the organizers of news conferences. IPN News Agency gives the right of reply to persons who consider they were touched by the news items produced based on statements of the organizers of the given news conference, including by facilitating the organization of another news conference in similar conditions.
