Moldova’s breakaway region Transnistria on Wednesday, the 28th of February, asked Russia to help its economy withstand Moldovan “pressure” at a meeting of hundreds of officials, which the pro-European government dismissed as a propaganda event to make headlines, reports Reuters.
After Moldova demanded that Transnistrian companies pay import duties into the central budget from January, the region held a “congress of deputies at all levels”.
A resolution adopted by the congress said it would appeal to the Russian parliament “to take diplomatic measures
to protect Transnistria in the face of increasing Moldovan pressure”.
The unrecognised region, which borders Ukraine to the east, has maintained autonomy from Chisinau for 30 years with the support of Moscow, which has deployed more than a thousand troops there since a short war in 1992.
The region says 220 000 Russian citizens live there.
Moldovan President Maia Sandu, attending the South-East European Summit in Albania, reaffirmed Moldova’s commitment to a peaceful settlement of the Transnistrian conflict. She said that the government was taking gradual steps towards the economic reintegration of the region.
Oleg Serebrian, Deputy Prime Minister of Moldova, said that the Congress was a propaganda event and that the breakaway region and all Moldovan citizens benefit from Moldova’s efforts to join the European Union.
Commenting on the congress, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that
defending the interests of the people of Transnistria was a priority and that the request would be carefully examined.
The Regional Economy Minister, speaking at the congress in Tiraspol, pointed out that the new regulation had reduced customs revenue for the Transnistrian budget by 18%. The resolution adopted at the event expresses concern about the social and economic pressure on Transnistria, considering it incompatible with European principles on human rights and free trade.
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