Tiraspol claims Transnistria lost at least 3 million dollars after introduction of new customs regime

Transnistria has losy 3.2 million dollars after the introduction of the new customs regime at the Moldovan-Ukrainian border, Tiraspol’s mouthpiece Olvia-Press quoted Transnistrian economics minister Elena Cernenko as saying on March 10. He said that Transnistria exports products worth 60-65 million dollars a year. Transnistria-based enterprises should export commodities worth 16 million dollars after introduction of what the secessionist authorities describe as „blockade”. Transnistria’s economy is oriented to export, so that up to 90 percent of production of Transnistrian enterprises is exported, Cernenko noted. „All our hopes to settle this crisis are related to Russia,” she added. Ukraine introduced the new customs regime for Transnistrian commodity flow at the Moldovan-Ukrainian border on March 3, so that the goods from the breakaway enclave are exported on basis of the Moldovan customs stamps only. The unrecognised Tiraspol authorities have described this action as an economic blockade. On the other hand, Chisinau and Kiev, supported by the international community and European organisations reject the accusations of economic blockade and say that the actions of Moldova and Ukraine are fair, whole Transnistria „self-isolates”.