Today, on March 29, 2016, the office of the OSCE Mission in Kishinev hosted this year’s first meeting of the expert (working) groups on customs cooperation. The meeting was attended by representatives of the mediators and observers in the negotiation process.
At the initiative of the Moldovan side the meeting exchanged views on the prospects of cooperation in providing mutual statistical information on the ongoing foreign economic activity, including mutual trade between Pridnestrovie and Moldova.
The Pridnestrovian side, in its turn, informed in detail all the participants of the meeting (including the mediators and observers) about predictable risks within the context of the discriminatory decision taken by Ukraine and Moldova outside the negotiation process to organize the joint control on the Ukrainian-Pridnestrovian border at the checkpoint “Kuchurgan”. Particular emphasis was placed on the risks arising in the context of that decision in economy, trade, freedom of movement of citizens and vehicles, as well as security. Pridnestrovie called on the Moldovan side and external participants of the 5+2 format to prevent from implementing the dangerous project and keep the situation from developing on the crisis scenario. The view was expressed about the unfoundedness of joint Moldovan-Ukrainian customs and border control at the checkpoint “Kuchurgan” if the information exchange on the foreign trade statistics between the customs authorities of Pridnestrovie and Moldova is launched.
The sides agreed to report to higher authorities on the results of the discussion and in the case of mutual interest in advancing on the mentioned matters to continue their discussion at the upcoming meetings.
