JCC delegations change date of joint peacekeeping exercise

The delegations to the Joint Control Commission (JCC) at the first meeting after vacation agreed to hold a joint peacekeeping exercise on February 19 though initially the exercise was scheduled for April-May, Info-Prim Neo reports, quoting the Ministry of Defense of Moldova. The United Military Command proposed that the exercise be carried out in April-May. “The Moldovan delegation approved the new date as a gesture of goodwill, but said that it would be better if the decisions approved by the United Military Command are not canceled in the future as new problems appear and the commission is delayed in its work,” the Ministry of Defense says in a communique. The delegation of Moldova expressed concern about the sudden rise in the tax for entering the Transnistrian region. “The Transnistrian authorities’ decision negatively affects the free movement of the people and the observance of human rights, which are permanently violated by the Transnistrian militsia,” the communique says. Heated discussions arose as to the removal of all the militsia posts set up in the Security Zone without the JCC’s consent. The Moldovan delegation insisted that this problem should be further discussed by the two working groups created earlier, which would then make an objective assessment of the situation. Under the agreement of 1992, Russia, Moldova and Transnistria are represented in the Joint Control Commission by six delegates. Ukraine and the OSCE attend the JCC meetings as observers. The sides’ tasks are to supervise the Security Zone, keep peace and defend human rights.