CHISINAU, Jan 11 Moldova will continue to insist on the withdrawal of the Russian military from the territory of Pridnestrovie, but will resolve this issue exclusively by peaceful means, said Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister of the republic Nicu Popescu.
"We have always said that the illegal presence of Russian troops on the territory of Moldova is a factor of instability both for the republic and for the region. The only way we want to achieve this goal is through diplomacy, negotiations and dialogue with the Russian side and Pridnestrovie,» Popescu said on TV 8.
He noted that it is difficult to discuss this issue now, since Chisinau maintains relations with Moscow exclusively at the level of embassies.
In Pridnestrovie there is an operational group of Russian troops (OGRF), the successor of the 14th combined arms army, which after the collapse of the USSR was transferred under the jurisdiction of Russia. Its main tasks are a peacekeeping mission and the protection of ammunition depots.
Pridnestrovie, 60% of whose inhabitants are Russians and Ukrainians, sought secession from Moldova even before the collapse of the USSR, fearing that Moldova would join Romania on the wave of nationalism. In 1992, after a failed attempt by the Moldovan authorities to solve the problem by force, Transnistria became virtually a territory not controlled by Chisinau.
According to the constitution of Moldova, the republic has a neutral status, but since 1994 the country has been cooperating with NATO within the framework of an individual partnership plan.