Igor Smirnov is ready to host Russian rockets in Transnistria

The separatist leader Igor Smirnov said Transnistria is ready to host the Russian rocket complex “Iskander” that Russia could base in 2015, when the U.S. anti-missile defense systems will be located in Romania. “We accept no foreign military presence in Moldova, including in Transnistria,” said the Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister on reintegration matters Victor Osipov. Smirnov made the statement during a news conference in Moscow on February 15, Info-Prim Neo reports, quoting the Transnistrian press. According to the website of the agency Novyi Reghion, Smirnov stressed that Transnistria is ready to host Russian rockets, but the decision to base them there is not made by him. “How can we be against if Russia protects us physically? We are in favor of the Russian military presence,” Igor Smirnov said, adding that the presence of U.S. anti-missile defense systems in Romania will destabilize the situation in the region. “Our country is neutral and we accept no foreign military presence, including the location of rockets. This applies to the Transnistrian region as well as it is an integral part of Moldova,” Deputy Prime Minister Victor Osipov said, commenting on Smirnov's statements. “We should avoid making statements about militarization as they groundlessly frighten the people living on the two banks of the Nistru. The ordinary people expect something else – that peace in the region is maintained and that we help them solve the serious problems they face.” “It should be noted that nobody proposed locating something. So, we can say that it is an offer request with no real grounds,” Osipov said.