Lifting of blockade for Transnistrian goods by Ukraine and Russia is speculation, officials

The text of the Russian-Ukrainian declaration on the settlement of the Transnistrian conflict is not yet known, Prime Minister Vlad Filat and Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration Victor Osipov said on May 13. The document is to be signed by Russian President Dmitri Medvedev and Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in Kiev next week. According to the Russian press, Russia and Ukraine intend to lift the trade restrictions imposed on the Transnistrian exporters. “I think the mass media reflects the phantasies and wishes of certain circles from the Transnistrian region. We cannot take them seriously,” Victor Osipov stated for Info-Prim Neo. “The myth about the so-called blockade that restricts Transnistria's foreign trade appeared several years ago. It was already dissolved as the data about the foreign economic activity of the Transnistrian companies supplied by them to the Moldovan authorities show they work efficiently and can boost the economy of the region,” Osipov said. He also said that there is no room for interpretation in this case as the trade rules for Ukraine and Russia result from the international norms and obligations assumed within the International Trade Organization as members. Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration Victor Osipov will also travel to Kiev, but the departure date has not been yet announced.