The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic received information that Ukraine has banned the entry and movement of vehicles with state registration plates of Pridnestrovie through its territory, starting today.
Had the Moldovan side timely and fully implemented all the previously assumed obligations in the framework of the Protocol Decision signed on April 24, 2018, there would be obviously no grounds for this crisis to emerge. However, after the agreement had been signed, Chisinau not only refused to fulfill it, having deliberately created a number of new restrictions, including with respect to car owners with Pridnestrovian driver's licenses, but also initiated the introduction by Ukraine of a ban on Pridnestrovian cars in the past.
The efforts declared by the representatives of the current leadership of Moldova to prevent the crisis led to no practical results.
We consider the decision of the Ukrainian side to be destructive, since it violates the basic principles of the international negotiation process between Pridnestrovie and Moldova and limits the rights of innocent people, including more than 80 thousand Ukrainian citizens living in Pridnestrovie, who are now artificially limited in communication with their relatives and friends. Such a measure will entail humanitarian and socio-economic costs for residents of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, including a wide range of business entities, and will inevitably lead to an escalation of regional tension. The initiators of such processes take full responsibility for the consequences.
Such blockade and restrictive measures negatively affect the state of the Moldovan-Pridnestrovian dialogue, and therefore we urge all participants in the negotiation process to assess actions that run counter to the principles and content of existing agreements and to prevent a full-scale transport blockade of Pridnestrovie.
We call on the Moldovan side to come to the negotiating table to ensure the early solution of the entire range of problems, including the issue of driving licenses, registration of freight and passenger vehicles, as well as other aspects recorded by the OSCE Mission in the summary protocol of October 7, 2020.
The Foreign Ministry of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic has addressed all the 5+2 format participants with a proposal to hold consultations on the current situation as soon as possible.
Pridnestrovie will continue to make every possible effort to ensure that the Ukrainian side reconsider its decision, as well as towards the guaranteed unimpeded access for all categories of the Pridnestrovian vehicles to the international road traffic.
