Over the past few months the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PMR has repeatedly informed the public about many obstacles in the field of freedom of movement for the inhabitants of Pridnestrovie, including officials, while crossing the state border of the Republic of Moldova in the airport of Kishinev.
Citizens of Pridnestrovie regularly address the PMR’s MFA informing that while passing passport control in the airport of Kishinev the Border Police of Moldova requires them to provide Moldovan documents, in particular a residence permit of the RM. As it follows from the incoming requests, in the absence of such documents citizens of Pridnestrovie are addressed some warnings of a possible refusal to pass through the state border of Moldova in the future.
In order to prevent the above mentioned incidents, which contradict to the agreements reached in the negotiation process in 2013 and connected with the creation of artificial barriers to the free movement using the infrastructure of the airport of Kishinev, based on the received complaints from citizens, the Pridnestrovian side regularly sent addresses to the Moldovan side requesting clarification and asking for actions to prevent violations.
As a result, on December 16, 2014 Representative on political issues of the Republic of Moldova Yevgeny Karpov officially informed in writing that officers of the RM’s Border Police were not provided with “new instructions regarding the regime for verifying documents of Pridnestrovians”
We remind that all the parameters to confirm by Pridnestrovians the fact of permanent residence in the territory of the PMR were finalised during the Meeting of the Permanent Conference in Vienna on February 27-28, 2014, which resulted in signing of the relevant Protocol decision On Several Aspects of Free Movement.
Thus, when departing or arriving at the airport of Kishinev it is enough for an inhabitant of Pridnestrovie to have a foreign passport with a note of consular registration in a foreign diplomatic mission accredited in the Republic of Moldova (for example, in the Embassy of the Russian Federation or Ukraine in the Republic of Moldova) or confirmation of issuance of travel documents in a diplomatic mission. Also according to the reached agreements inhabitants of Pridnestrovie have the right to write an application for their permanent residence in the territory of Pridnestrovie on their behalf and under their responsibility.
Thus, any requirements or threats by the members of the Border Police of the RM are illegal.
In his letter Yevgeny Karpov also reports on the readiness “of the Moldovan side to continue its efforts to promote the agreements reached within the framework of the Protocol Decision On Several Aspects of Free Movement of People.
The Foreign Ministry of the PMR welcomes such clearly expressed and written intention of the Moldovan side to faithfully execute the agreements reached in the field of freedom of movement and hopes that this positive intention will be consistently implemented in practice.
