On November 10, 2014 at Kishinev airport actions of plainly inflammatory and militant character were taken against President of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic E.V. Shevchuk who was heading on working trip to Moscow, by the group of representatives of Moldovan Special Services, pro-Romanian political forces of the Republic of Moldova and so-called “combatants”. Those citizens of the Republic of Moldova by the “organized crowd” tried to block the entrance to Kishinev airport, and also shouting national and aggressive slogans such as “terrorists” and “invaders” that resembled in its content and tone the 90s of the last century threatened the President of the PMR and accompanying him persons with physical harm.
In this context the MFA of the PMR, first of all, informs that despite the organized provocation Pridnestrovie's President could fly to Moscow through the efforts of the members of the Presidential Security Service of the PMR and law enforcement of the airport and now he is holding a number of working meetings in the capital of the Russian Federation. Regarding the incident the Head of state is intended to discuss the problem on restrictions of movement of Pridnestrovian and Russian citizens by the Republic of Moldova and recent unfriendly steps of the Moldovan side violating the existing agreements in that area.
Pridnestrovie considers the incident as a deliberate and preplanned provocation as is evidenced by the presence of the former high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the RM at the entrances of the airport, agents of the ISS of RM, and also Moldovan journalists who “happened to be there” that were recorded by the members of the Presidential Security Service of the PMR. The actions of all participants of the mentioned group of “veterans of the war on the Dniester” were coordinated clearly by the one center using means of communication.
Highly professional and cool-headed actions of the members of the Security Service of the President of the PMR who provided their documents and transport for the examination, unarmed and received the instructions of the President to avoid reacting to provocation and not to apply physical protection counter-measures were a key factor ensuring the incident do not become a full-sized clash.
The Foreign Ministry of Pridnestrovie expresses its extreme concern over the provocation organized in Kishinev and holds Moldova's Special Services and extremist forces moderated by pro- Romanian organizations fully responsible for the incident.
It is important to stress that according to the agreed format of movements within the territory of Moldova, the President of Pridnestrovie, going to the airport, did not visit any locality, did not stop on his way, and information about his departure was known in advance by the airport officials. Therefore, ensuring his security as a passenger as well as maintenance of public order were the responsibility of the authorities of the Republic of Moldova.
Pridnestrovie hopes that the incident endangering the personal security of the Pridnestrovie's President will be examined in detail by our partners in Kishinev who are supposed should take into account the agreements existing between Moldova and Pridnestrovie, but the fact that over the past year the representatives of authorities and law-enforcement structures of Moldova have crossed Pridnestrovie's border more than 4 thousand times under the standard and notification procedure, and their security has always been ensured by the law enforcement bodies of the PMR.
The happened incident completely contradicts to the provisions of the Protocol Decision “On some aspects of the freedom of movement of the population”, signed on February 28, 2014 in Vienna, and threatens to significantly heat the current difficult relations between the parties and to result in counter-measures of Pridnestrovie, but extremist “combatants” in Kishinev airport seemed to have hardly cared of that.
In this context the PMR's MFA has sent an official address to Acting Political Representative of the Republic of Moldova V. Kiver requiring taking appropriate measures to prevent such provocations in the future. Along with this the Pridnestrovian side expects to receive information on what actions have been taken by law enforcement agencies of the Republic of Moldova to establish identities and bring to justice the guilty persons, provoked the incident.
Perhaps the incident indicates that certain extremist forces in Kishinev during the election campaign have chosen the tactics where their task is to “distinguish themselves” through provocations with unpredictable consequences. However, according to the Pridnestrovian side, the preservation of peace and stability is an important task for both sides of the conflict, and the political, electoral environment in Moldova must not be used for the aggravation of the situation on the banks of the Dniester.
The Foreign Ministry of the PMR consistently urges the Moldovan side to abandon unfriendly steps against the leadership and citizens of the PMR in order to prevent an escalation of the relationship, to keep the peace and to create conditions for resolution of all the problematic issues by political means at the negotiating table.
Pridnestrovie expects public reaction from guarantors and mediators in the “5 + 2” format of the Pridnestrovian settlement process due to the fact of clear violation of the reached agreements and any conceivable parameters of the normal interaction between the parties, as well as the rights of the PMR's citizens to move freely.
At the same time the Pridnestrovian side believes that today especially urgent is the need to release the transport potential of the country, including by using the airport in the city of Tiraspol for civil aviation.
For 24 years Pridnestrovie has not participated in the electoral processes of the Republic of Moldova, but expresses the hope that such incidents will not escalate into a conflict between the parties, and that the political formations of Moldova, aggressively spirited and using approaches of the last century, the “parties of war”, will not find support among voters in the Republic of Moldova.
