Romanian diplomacy condemns the groundless allegations contained in the press release of the Russian Foreign Ministry of February 24, 2023 regarding the pro-Russian secessionist region of Transnistria, in the east of the Republic of Moldova, as well as the threatening and provocative rhetoric used. According to a press release by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bucharest, the intentional propagation of information without correspondence in the reality on the ground represents an extremely dangerous approach, in the current security context, in which the Russian Federation is intensifying its war of aggression against Ukraine. This attempt to artificially create tension and destabilization in the region and in relation to the Republic of Moldova is unacceptable. The Romaian MFA calls for responsibility, for abandoning aggressive, escalating and provocative rhetoric, as well as for refraining from any statements and acts that may affect the stability of the region and the Republic of Moldova. Transnistria de facto came out of the control of the central authorities after an armed conflict that resulted in hundreds of deaths and was ended by the intervention of Moscow’s troops on the side of the secessionist rebels in 1992, not even a year after Chisinau proclaimed its independence. At the OSCE summit in Istanbul in 1999, the former Russian president, Boris Yeltsin, pledged to withdraw the troops from Transnistria. About 1,500 soldiers and important Russian arsenals are believed to still be there.
