As it was reported earlier, on April 26, 2012, a report of the Deutsche Welle called “Transnistria – Europe's Hotbed of Smuggling” was placed on the popular YouTube video hosting site. It was stated in that report that “everything, right up to drugs and weapons, is illegally transported through the border between Ukraine and Pridnestrovie”, that “illegal transit is prospering…”. The main conclusion made by the authors drives the attention of spectators to the period, when many European means of mass media presented Pridnestrovie only as a “black hole”.
Authors tried to lean on the authority of the EUBAM Mission which is operating on the Moldo-Ukrainian and Pridnestrovian-Ukrainian parts of the border since December, 2005. But for all that the authors do not adduce any factual proofs of their statements from the EUBAM reports. Head of the EUBAM Office made appropriate statements on the notorious conjectures on the arms and drugs traffic by refuting these sorts of libels.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PMR addressed the leadership of the EUBAM Mission for appropriate explanations on the above cited report by the Deutsche Welle broadcaster. PMR's MFA received a reply from the Head of the EUBAM Mission Udo Burkholder in which it is stated that the comment by the EUBAM expert, used in the report, does not contain any discriminative statements. “Journalist was repeatedly informed that EUBAM Mission has no evidence of the arms smuggling, but he preferred not to include these statements into the report”, – Udo Burkholder noted. Head of the EUBAM Mission also informed about his interview to the journalist which was also not used by the author of the report.
Udo Burkholder confirms that journalist used his own conclusions and comments in the report. He also assumed that German journalist tried to use EUBAM in order to corroborate his own statements. “That is why we can question objectivity of his conclusions”, – Head of the EUBAM Mission stated.
In conclusion, Udo Burkholder noted that the policy conducted by the Mission proposed maximal assistance to Mass Media in order to form positive outlook on the Mission's work. But EUBAM can not control all the materials which are published by the journalists.
He also pointed out the necessity of respect towards the freedom of expression as one of the fundamental democratic principles.
