Transnistrian delegation in JCC declares state of emergency without notifying other Commission members

The Transnistrian delegation in the Joint Control Commission (JCC) declared “state of alarm” in the morning of April 17 within the Security Zone, without duly informing the other JCC members, observers and the military commandment, and the authorities which are to be notified in such a case. The Security Zone is an area where military clashes occurred during the 1992 war. The violation was discussed the same day at the JCC sitting, reads a communiqué of the Moldovan Defense Ministry, quoted by Info-Prim Neo. The JCC Moldovan co-chair, Ion Solonenco, expressed hope the talks between the Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin and the Transnistrian leader Igor Smirnov, on April 11, would have a deep influence including in the JCC’s work, first, to solve problems related to the Security Zone. Ion Solonenco spoke on the results of the sitting of the working group on Apriol 16 at which the issue of the posts of the force structures within the Security Zone had been discussed. According to the JCC co-chair, “the impasse in this respect makes us expect something better at the coming sittings.” At the sitting on last Thursday, after approving of the nominations of four Ukrainian military observers, the process of filling in the Ukrainian contingent of military observers ended. At the same time, the suggestion to appoint General Valentin Izotov as JCC member was rejected for the third time in a row, as he exerts the function of superior military commander of the Peace-Keeping Forces on behalf of Tiraspol, which is part of the joint Military Commandment. In the opinion of the Moldovan delegation, joining those positions is not going to make more efficient the JCC’s work.