Sandu: The withdrawal of Russian troops from Transnistria is a priority in negotiations with the EU
This is reported by the Moldovan publication Point.
Transnistria remains part of Moldova
According to Sandu, the process of Moldova’s accession to the European Union is being decided in Brussels, not in Moscow. She emphasised that the Transnistrian region is an integral part of the country, and therefore its future is also being discussed during negotiations on European integration. The President noted that the biggest problem remains the illegal presence of Russian troops on Moldovan territory.
“The Transnistrian region is part of the Republic of Moldova; naturally, we are discussing the Transnistrian region as well. The biggest problem is the illegal presence of Russian troops. We constantly raise this issue, as do our European partners. We hope that together we will be able to resolve it,” Sandu said on Pro TV Chișinău.
The EU may become involved in the settlement
Maia Sandu suggested that, should negotiations begin on ending the war in Ukraine, the European Union might also raise the issue of Transnistria, in particular regarding the peaceful withdrawal of Russian military forces from the region.
Separately, the president drew attention to cases of Moldovan citizens being detained on the left bank of the Dniester. According to her, the country’s authorities are trying to secure their release through a negotiation process between Chișinău and Tiraspol, mediated by the OSCE.
“Sometimes we succeed, sometimes we don’t. There are currently several people whom we have not yet been able to secure the release of, but the government will continue to work on this,” the head of state noted.
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