The Republic of Moldova consistently pleads for the complete and unconditional withdrawal of Russian troops from its territory and for the transformation of the current peacekeeping operation into a civilian mission with an international mandate.

The statement was made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, Tudor Ulianovschi, at the OSCE Annual Ministerial Meeting held in Milan today in Italy. In the opinion of Minister Tudor Ulianovschi, these and other measures to build trust and support the population effectively contribute to the proximity between the two banks of the Nistru river and to the creation of a favorable atmosphere for the final settlement of the Transnistrian conflict. In this context, Tudor Ulianovschi invoked the UN General Assembly resolution "On the complete and unconditional withdrawal of foreign military forces from the territory of the Republic of Moldova", drawing in particular attention to the serious humanitarian and ecological hazards of the stocks of the Cobasna ammunition.

The head of the Moldovan diplomacy thanked the 57 participating states for their support in the adoption of the declaration on the "5 + 2" negotiation process in which the firm determination of "to help identify a peaceful, comprehensive and durable for this conflict, based on respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova within its internationally recognized borders, with the granting of a special status to Transnistria".

In a wider context, Minister Tudor Ulianovschi advocated stepping up efforts to regulate conflicts in the GUAM area, underlining the importance of respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity of states within their internationally recognized borders.

"The recent Russian-Ukrainian naval incident in the Kerch Strait demonstrates once more how fragile peace and security are in this geographical area in which my country is located", said Minister Tudor Ulianovschi.