Moldova has appealed to the United Nations to address the full withdrawal of Russian troops from the Transdniestrian region at the upcoming 72nd session of the UN General Assembly.
The letter to the UN Secretariat was forwarded by Moldovan Permanent Representative to the UN Victor Moraru, a source from the Moldovan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration told Interfax.
The letter says that the presence of Russian servicemen poses a threat to international peace and security, the source said.
“Therefore, in line with Article 11 of the UN Charter, the Moldovan government asks for putting the issue of the full withdrawal of these foreign armed forces from its territory on the session agenda as a separate item. Moldova counts on support for its efforts toward the unconditional, orderly, and full withdrawal of foreign armed forces from its territory,” Moraru said.
The consideration of Moldova’s petition would be a practical step toward settling the issue of removing the foreign forces from its territory, the source said.
The Moldovan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration told journalists it would issue a special statement on the matter later on August 23.
Moraru’s letter refers to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s 1999 declaration that welcomed “the commitment by the Russian Federation to complete withdrawal of the Russian forces from the territory of Moldova by the end of 2002.”
“Since then, the Moldovan authorities have applied efforts in various formats to resolve the issue of Russian servicemen, but these efforts have been unsuccessful. Not a single state should be allowed to obstruct the application of the international law principle, under which armed forces cannot be stationed in another country’s territory without its consent,” Moraru said.
It is known that Russia had said earlier that the withdrawal of its troops was contingent on a settlement of the conflict over Transdniestria, which Moscow sees in granting Transdniestria special status within Moldova by Chisinau.
The Moldovan authorities stand in favor of transforming the peacekeeping mission in Transdniestria into a civilian one under an international mandate.
