Moldova wants Russian troops out of Transnistria

The Moldovan delegation at the annual ministerial meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Skopje will ask Russia to withdraw its troops from Transnistria, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Nicolae Popescu said.

"I confirmed the need for the unconditional withdrawal of Russian Federation troops from our territory, to thus create favorable conditions for an exclusively peaceful settlement of the Transnistrian conflict," Popescu wrote on his Telegram channel.

Earlier, he said he would hold several bilateral meetings with EU counterparts ahead of the European Council vote to ensure full support for the next stages of Moldova's accession to the EU.

Russian peacekeepers were introduced into the Transnistrian conflict zone after signing an agreement with Moldova on July 21, 1992, on a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Transnistria. This made it possible to stop hostilities between Moldovan police and Transnistrian militia. Today, they maintain peace on the Dniester River, along with peacekeepers from Moldova and Transnistria.