As Pridnestrovian Foreign Service previously reported (http://mfa-pmr.org/index.php?newsid=2732), Pridnestrovian side has received notification of the Representative of the Republic of Moldova on Political Issues Yevgeny Karpov informing on intention of Kishinev to establish migration control of citizens in six checkpoints near the national Moldovan-Pridnestrovian border starting from May 2013.
In connection with the unilateral measures planned by the Moldovan side which have been elaborated neither at the bilateral level nor within international formats including the Joint Control Commission, Pridnestrovian side has sent an appeal to the political representative of the Republic of Moldova considering actions of Kishinev as matters of concern and provocation. Pridnestrovian side in its address raised also a number of issues including those that have been listed during the briefing held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PMR on April 4 a. c.
In particular, Pridnestrovie has requested a detailed explanation of the mechanism for migration control by officers of the Bureau for Migration and Asylum of the RM including the perspective of movement across the border between Moldova and Pridnestrovie of Pridnestrovians without international passports.
The appeal of Pridnestrovian side was answered by the Representative of the Republic of Moldova on Political Issues Yevgeny Karpov. Following the response, creating conditions for registration of foreigners visiting the Republic of Moldova will not result in fielding of checkpoints or change of their location.” The letter of Yevgeny Karpov also states that Kishinev has no intention to increase number of officers employing on Moldovan border checkpoints within the Security Zone.
At the same time, Moldovan side notes in its response that the procedures relating to the control of migration flows will not be applied to residents of Pridnestrovie “regardless the passport they hold.” Moldovan side emphasizes in the letter that the registration will be optional, free and prompt. It will be aimed at excluding of “any additional barriers to the free movement of citizens.”
In this regard and despite of quick answer given by Moldovan side, it should be mentioned that the letter of Yevgeny Karpov contains no necessary explanations on reasonable questions of Pridnestrovian side concerning clear defining of mechanism for migration control.
Thus, the official Kishinev claims that only “foreigners” coming to the Republic of Moldova through the Ukrainian-Pridnestrovian border will be subject to registration. In this context, there will be a logical difficulty in determining whether people crossing the border between Moldova and Pridnestrovie are residents or non-residents of Pridnestrovie, particularly in view of the voluntary registration procedure.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PMR recalls that the migration service of the Republic of Moldova has been administratively restricting during last five years free movement across the Moldovan national border for Pridnestrovians holding Russian, Ukrainian and other non- Moldovan foreign passports, as well as citizens who enter the PMR temporarily. For example, when going by train through the north of Moldova or on the departure/arrival at the airport in Kishinev migration officers of the RM require Moldovan passport or residence permit in the Republic of Moldova to be submitted by people residing in Pridnestrovie. In the absence of such documents Pridnestrovian nationals are subject to administrative proceedings including restrictions on freedom of movement. Meanwhile, impossibility to confirm permanent residence of a particular person within the territory of Pridnestrovie is regarded as the key reason of the restrictions.
Taking into account the above, Pridnestrovian side has no clear understanding of Moldovan position regarding identification whether an individual resides in Pridnestrovie or is a national of a third country coming to Moldova via the PMR. At the same time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PMR considers that national identity card of the PMR is legal evidence of permanent residence in the territory of Pridnestrovie, as well as stamp in the foreign passport indicating consular registration at one of the Embassies accredited in the Republic of Moldova. Similarly, proper registration with the competent authorities of the PMR of citizens of the Russian Federation, Ukraine and other countries temporarily residing in Pridnestrovie is the basis of their legal status. We believe that the removal of administrative persecutions of Pridnestrovians while crossing the border of the Republic of Moldova remains relevant area where Pridnestrovian side intends to continue discussion including the frameworks of the Protocol Decision “On Some Primary Measures to Provide Freedom of Movement for Population of Pridnestrovie and the Republic of Moldova”.
At the same time we note the need to discuss arrangements relating to the control of migration flows planned by the Republic of Moldova within the existing forms of interaction including the “Permanent Conference on Political Issues in the Framework of the Negotiating Process for Pridnestrovian Settlement”. Regular meeting within this format has been scheduled for the end of May a. c. in Odessa. Pridnestrovian side has already sent an appeal with initiative to include the above issues in the agenda of the forthcoming “5+2” meeting to representatives of the guarantor countries, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Leonid Kozhara.
Also, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PMR urges the international participants in the negotiation process to the objective and involved surveillance over developments on the Moldovan-Pridnestrovian border in order to prevent any measure of discrimination against the right of Pridnestrovian population to free movement.
