As of September 1, Ukraine will accept in international road traffic only Transnistrian vehicles with neutral-design license plates. The Ukrainian Government’s decision was communicated by the Ambassador of Ukraine Marko Shevchenko in a meeting with acting Prime Minister Aureliu Ciocoi, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, IPN reports.

Tiraspol reacted immediately. The Transnistrian administration said such restrictive measures run counter to the principles of the negotiation process and encroach upon the rights and freedoms of the people from the Transnistrian region. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to interact with the participants in the international negotiation process so as to prevent crisis scenarios. Simultaneously, we will welcome the intensification of constructive mediation efforts on the part of the Ukrainian side so as to identify a comprehensive solution to the problems existing in the transport sector,” stated the Transnistrian administration.

The new regulations that allowed crossing the state border of the Republic of Motiva with Transnistrian cars only if these had neutral-design license plates, accompanied by the distinct sign of the state “MD”, and that were to take effect on January 15 were annulled. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, such a decision was taken because there weren’t taken sufficient measures to inform the citizens from the Transnistrian region about the new regulations. Until March 1, the border police officers will inform the citizens about the new border crossing conditions.