Victor Osipov, Moldova's deputy prime-minister responsible for reintegration matters, has said in a statement on December 31 that press reports alleging that residents of the Transnistrian region are constantly detained at the Moldo-Ukrainian border are unfounded, calling them a display of bad faith, aimed at creating artificial tensions. “I believe it is absolutely obvious that the presence of foreign citizens without a defined legal status on Moldovan territory, or on the territory of any other country, can be regarded as a real problem ... However, I must make it clear that the allegations according to which it has been an intensification in the number of complaints from citizens of Russia and Ukraine, and who reside permanently in the Transnistrian region, allegedly complaining that they encounter problems while crossing the Moldo-Ukrainian border, are unfounded and are misleading the public opinion. Even the statements made by certain representatives of the Tiraspol administration cite only seven cases allegedly registered in the period from 2007 to 2009, including a mere two cases this year, the latest being on August 22. The allegations that complaints of detention of people residing in the Transnistrian region at Moldo-Ukrainian border checkpoints “are coming uninterruptedly”, are devoid of any serious ground. These can merely be regarded as a display of bad faith, which aims to artificially create tensions”, the statement reads. On the contrary, the statement adds, the Moldovan authorities decided to ease requirements at the border for the Russian and Ukrainian citizens during the winter holidays, until 18 January 2010.