10/16/14
On Sunday, October 12, 2014 Deputy Director of the Dnester-Prut centre of the Russian Institute of Strategic Studies V.B. Kashirin was detained at the airport of Kishinev and then deported to the Russian Federation.Staff member of the RISS arrived from Moscow in Kishinev by Flight S7 157 at 12:30 where he was detained by migration police and customs officers of the Republic of Moldova. He had been in the “interrogation room” for three hours, and then without explaining any reasons he was taken to the departure lounge and departed to Moscow by the flight at 18:00 On Tuesday, October 14, 2014 the PMR's Foreign Ministry officially requested Acting Representative on political issues from the Republic of Moldova V. Kiveri, but no clarifications were provided up to the present time.The Foreign Ministry of the PMR stressed that V.B.Kashirin was a citizen of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic and had all relevant Pridnestrovian documents, of what he informed the RM's migration police and customs officers. Thus, the provisions of the Protocol decision on some aspects of free movement of people signed in Vienna on February 27, 2014 should fully apply on him. Actually, the authorities of the Republic of Moldova denied Pridnestrovie's citizen permanently residing in Tiraspol the right to return home. Officers of Moldova's migration and customs services at that made a number of extremely conflict and inadequate comments about Pridnestrovie. In particular, it was stated that “Pridnestrovie does not exist”, “any Protocol decisions does not matter”, and V.B. Kashirin would not be allowed to enter the “separatist region”. At the same time, at V.B. Kashirin's request, V.A. Malyshev, the Head of Consular Department of the Russian Embassy in the Republic of Moldova arrived at Kishinev airport. But the consular official was not allowed to communicate with the national of Russia by the senior shift police officer of the RM.Foreign Ministry of Pridnestrovie pays attention that denial of having access by the Consular official to a citizen of the Russian Federation is a grave violation of the international and bilateral (between Russia and Moldova) documents regulating consular service for citizens. So, part a) Article 36 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations of 24 April 1963 which the Republic of Moldova officially joined on September 4, 1992, grants consular officials the right “to communicate with nationals of the sending State and to have access to them”. Part c) Article 36 of the Convention states that “consular officials have the right to visit a national of the sending State … to converse and correspond with him and to arrange for his legal representation”.In turn, part a) Article 13 of Convention on Consular Relations between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Moldova of June 14, 1994 gives consular officials the right “to meet and communicate with nationals of the sending State, to give them advice and render every assistance, including arranging for his legal representation.” And “the host country does not in any way place restrictions on communicating of nationals of the sending State with a consular mission and their access to the consular office”. Thus, the authorities of the Republic of Moldova gravely violated the existing international obligations of the state and the agreements reached in the negotiation process and signed by the parties, guarantors and the mediator.It should be particularly noted that the violation of the right to freedom of movement of a citizen of the Russian Federation and Pridnestrovie V.B.Kashirina occurred with the full connivance of official representatives of the Republic of Moldova who represent that country in the negotiation process in the format of “Permanent Conference…”. Y.Karpov, who no longer performs the duties of the representative on political issues, has not made it possible to answer any telephone calls from Pridnestrovian officials, and Head of the Bureau for Reintegration of the Republic of Moldova G. Balan has refused to clarify or assist in this situation citing as a reason a lack of information.The PMR's MFA emphasizes that the incident constituting an attempt to exert unconcealed pressure and blackmail against Pridnestrovie, is not first one among series of unilateral actions of the Republic of Moldova aimed at international isolation of the republic. Particularly, earlier the authorities of the Republic of Moldova had already taken illegal actions against officials of Pridnestrovie at Kishinev airport. The Foreign Ministry of the PMR considers the incident as another unfriendly step by the Moldovan side restricting the right of Pridnestrovian people to free movement and considerably worsening already difficult conditions for the dialogue between Pridnestrovie and the Republic of Moldova.
