Russia's removal from peace-keeping operation could lead to renewed bloodshed, Russian official warns

The Russian Federation is puzzled by attempts to exclude it from the the Transnistrian settlement process, said Andrei Nesterenko, spokesman of the Russian Foreign Ministry, during a press briefing in Moscow. The information was released by the Russian Embassy in Chisinau, quoting RIA Novosti, Info-Prim Neo reports. According to Nesterenko, lately the mass media have increasingly referred to the presence of Russian troops on Moldovan territory. “We are quite puzzled that in this complicated situation, which is due to the interruption of negotiations in 2006, on Moldova’s request, Russia is asked to withdraw from one of the most efficient peace-keeping missions”, he said. Nesterenko thinks that the disposal of the current peace-keeping mission will lead to new tensions and subsequent clashes between the conflicting parties. The diplomat has mentioned that for 18 years, during the presence of Russian peace-keeping troops, not a single bullet has been shot in the Transnistrian region. “We think that certain shortsighted politicians who want to discredit the Russian peacekeepers’ role, follow narrow interests and damage the negotiation process on the settlement of the Transnistrian conflict”, he added. RIA Novosti reported that 402 peacekeepers from Russia, 492 from self-proclaimed Transnistria, 355 from Moldova and 10 from Ukraine are deployed in 15 control points.