The statement by which the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe officially recognized Russia’s act of military aggression against the Republic of Moldova and respectively the occupation of its Transnistrian region is inacceptable and distorts the real state of affairs, said the spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Maria Zakharova, IPN reports.

Maria Zakharova also commented on President Maia Sandu’s statement about the necessity of withdrawing the Russian troops from the left side of the Nistru. According to her, a limited contingent of Russian troops stays in Transnistria in accordance with the principles of peaceful settlement of the armed conflict in the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova of July 21, 1992.

“The goal of their stay is to ensure a peacekeeping operation owing to which not only peace and safety were maintained on the Nistru during 30 years, but also reliable protection of the arms depot that has been present in the region since the Soviet period,” stated the spokeswoman.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe officially recognized Russia’s act of military aggression against the Republic of Moldova and respectively the occupation of its Transnistrian region. The PACE unanimously accepted an amendment tabled by Romania, Ukraine, France, Estonia, the UK, Georgia and Turkey to a resolution that condemns the Russian invasion of Ukraine.