Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration, Cristina Lesnic, calls on OSCE Mission to continue monitoring Tiraspol's illegal actions on the ground

The Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration, Cristina Lesnic, had a meeting today with the Head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova, Claus Neukirch. Officials discussed the dynamics of the negotiation process and other issues.

Cristina Lesnic spoke about her recent visit to Hagimus village from Causeni district, about the visit of her colleagues to Corjova, Dubasari, and the difficulties faced by the population in the Security Zone.

“Removal of the illegal Transnistrian checkpoints, installed during the pandemic, is constantly on the agenda. The general assessment of the situation reveals that the positive trend built over time in the Transnistrian settlement process is eroding, while the human rights aspect becomes negative and raises concerns”, said Cristina Lesnic. 

The official presented several individual cases on repressive measures applied by the Transnistrian side against people who have exercised their right to expression, She also mentioned the violation of the right to work of citizens on both banks of Nistru, the right to free movement and access to health care. 

A specific topic on the meeting agenda was preparation of the 2020-2021 school year and of the educational institutions for the study process, given the new realities caused by the pandemic and the fact that there are students from the villages on the right bank of Nistru who study on the left bank. This situation is compounded by traffic restrictions imposed by Tiraspol and extended until 30 September, not having any certainty about their cancellation date.

Given these conditions and lack of consensus in the Joint Control Commission on the illegal checkpoints, Chisinau insists that the OSCE Mission continues providing field monitoring and prompt response to situations that may escalate due to Tiraspol’s unilateral deterioration of the dialogue.

In this context, the Deputy Prime Minister, Cristina Lesnic, repeatedly highlighted that the illegal checkpoints are not sanitary, and the prior risk assessment shows that these checkpoints do not enhance the dialogue between Chisinau and Tiraspol.