Transdniestria to Bar Moldova Way
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Written by transnistria.info
Friday, 17 June 2005
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The leadership of self-proclaimed Trans-Dniestrian Moldavian Republic announced yesterday that the Ukrainian authorities had blocked international motor transportation from Transdniestria by taking away licenses from local carriers. Tiraspol viewed these actions as manipulated by Chisinau and threatened Moldova with retaliatory measures. Ukraine rejects Transdniestrias accusations of the blockade and calls the scandal an attempt to involve Ukraine into a political conflict.
A new conflict between Moldova and Transdniestria arose yesterday. After last years rail war? when the Transdniestrian railroad got out of hand of Chisinau, the parties embarked on a transport confrontation, this time over motor transportation. The ministry of industry of Trans-Dniestrian Moldavian Republic circulated information yesterday that the Ukrainian state service of international motor transportation called off licenses for international passenger traffic from transportation agencies of Transdniestria, without explaining any reasons. These licenses are issued by Moldovas ministry of transportation. On May 31 this year, Transdniestrian carriers obtained new documents but as early as on June 9 the Ukrainian authorities started revoking them.
Vitaly Makovey, deputy industry minister of Transdniestria, reported to Kommersant correspondent that due to these actions a considerable part of regular transportation services are not performed, and carriers incur considerable losses. Mr. Makovey says that neither Chisinau nor Kyiv gave adequate explanations for the reasons of the revocation of the documents. Valery Makovey blames Chisinau and is sure that Ukraine acts at request of Moldovan authorities. He also added that should the problem remain unresolved within the next few days, Transdniestria will take appropriate steps and restrict the passage of Moldovan transport through its territory.
Kyiv refuted the accusations of the attempts to block from Transdniestria the passenger vehicles traffic. Ukrainian Ministry of Transportation and Communications told Kommersant that they were puzzled why would the traffic problem crop up. The ministrys spokesperson Tatyana Markina said they view this crisis as an attempt to draw Ukraine in a political scandal. Ms. Markina explained that the licenses had been revoked because of the bad quality of the proofs of the documents: We have exchanged the papers and handed them over to Moldovan government. Thus, we have performed our duties, but we have no idea what is going on between Chisinau and Tiraspol and we cannot comment it.?
Moldovan minister of transportation and roads Miron Gagauz informed Kommersant correspondent that Ukrainian licenses on passenger traffic are handed to Transdniestrian transportation agencies through Chisinau. We are a united state, therefore the centre distributes documents in compliance with laws,? the minister said. Mr. Gagauz added that he found it hard to comment on the claims of Tiraspol and the threat of possible restrictions on the entry of Moldovan transport because he does not have all the facts.
Meanwhile, before the so-called mini-Davos (economic summit of the GUAM [Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Moldova]), Ukrainian president Viktor Yushchenko and his Moldovan counterpart Vladimir Voronin discussed the demarcation of the Ukrainian-Moldovan frontier and practical steps to be taken to solve Transdniestrian problem?. The presidents would not comment on the essence of the steps saying they had agreed on the information exchange of frontier services of the two countries on the situation on the border. Moldovan custom and frontier authorities currently do not service the Transdniestrian part of the Moldovan-Ukrainian border while Chisinau needs the total control over the territory to regulate Tiraspols external economic activities.
by Vladimir Solovyev
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Last Updated ( Monday, 09 April 2007 )
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