The fact that Maia Sandu, as President of Moldova, intends to seek the withdrawal of the Operational Group of Russian Forces (OGRV) from Transnistria is hardly news.
The fact that a politician who considers the European direction for his country not only the most effective, but also the only possible, would like to get rid of the Russian presence in the territory that he considers part of the Moldovan state, in general, is quite logical.
It would be strange if Moldova continued to move towards a hypothetical NATO and EU membership with Russian peacekeepers on board.
It would seem that the situation is copied from the conflicts in Georgia and Ukraine, but this is far from the case.
Moldovan history has its own specifics, and the still unresolved conflict between Moldova and Transnistria is much less acute than similar conflicts in other territories of the former USSR.
The clashes with the use of weapons in the summer of 1992 in Bender did not last long, and the number of victims was not as great as in South Ossetia in August 2008, and even more so in the Donbass during more than six years of civil war.
On July 21, 1992, an Agreement on the principles of a peaceful settlement was signed in Moscow, under which the presidents of Russia, Moldova and Transnistria put their signatures.
On the basis of this agreement, Russian "blue helmets" entered the conflict zone.
For 25 years, Russian peacekeepers have been the guarantors of the preservation of peace in the dividing security zone along the Dniester, where they are together with the servicemen of Moldova, Transnistria and military observers from Ukraine.
Yesterday, in an interview with Moldova-1 TV channel, Maia Sandu said that she would seek the withdrawal of the Russian group from Transnistria: “This is the official position of the Republic of Moldova, which has not changed, and I will continue to promote it.
This task force must be withdrawn, the ammunition must be removed.
It is very important to restore the territorial integrity and independence of the Republic of Moldova ”.
The reaction of Russia was immediate and extremely harsh.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stressed that Sandu's provocative statements are aimed at undermining peace efforts.
According to her, the presence of the OGRV ensures the peacekeeping contingent of the Russian Federation as part of the joint peacekeeping forces: “The mandate of the peacekeeping operation clearly links the duration of our participation in it with reaching political agreements on the settlement of the conflict.
It is still far from that. "
Zakharova also recalled that thanks to the presence of Russian "blue helmets" in the region, peace has been preserved for 25 years and no blood has been shed.
In addition, she drew attention to the groundlessness of the argument that the withdrawal of the group is also necessary to eliminate the huge amount of weapons stored in warehouses in Kolbasna.
There are more than 20 thousand tons of ammunition, which were brought there after the withdrawal of Soviet troops from European countries.
“If there are appropriate conditions, as it was indicated in the documents of the OSCE Ministerial Council in Porto in 2002, it will be possible to talk about practical steps in this direction.
Let me remind you that until 2003, while such conditions existed, 42 railroad trains with ammunition and military equipment were removed, ”Zakharova said.
Meanwhile, despite the fact that the mandatory thesis about the need to restore the country's integrity remains on the political agenda of Moldova, this topic is neither a priority, nor even promising for the Moldovan political elite.
Such statements in a significant number of cases are an empty formality.
From Chisinau, the separatist region appears to have completely fallen away.
By the way, in an interview with the Ukrainian edition of the European Truth, Maia Sandu spoke about Pridnestrovie as an independent political entity that declared its independence of its own free will.
And this is the main point that distinguishes the Transnistrian conflict from the Ukrainian and Georgian ones.
They deny the political sovereignty of the separatist regions, claiming that Moscow is behind them, and contacts between the conflicting parties are extremely limited.
The relations between Tiraspol and Chisinau are quite extensive, especially in the economic sphere.
For example, Moldova certifies Transnistrian products so that they can be exported to the West.
Summing up, we can say that the statements of the newly elected Moldovan president are, on the whole, a routine gesture that does not bind anyone to anything.
I believe that she herself is well aware of this.
Russian peacekeepers are in Transnistria legally, which the Moldovan side also recognizes.
And they will remain there until the conflict is resolved, as provided by the agreement.
And this is another very long, and most likely an endless story.
The author's point of view may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.