People who live in Transnitria are requested to willingly hand over their guns and ammunition, which they own or found.

According to the administration from Tiraspol, most weapons remained from the 1992 conflict. Those who will abide, will avoid criminal prosecution.

For 25 years, authorities have confiscated from citizens 50 machine guns, 1 200 grenades and 150 000 cartridges. Only last year, a hundred cases of citizens willingly handing over weapons and ammunition were registered.

"Often, we receive guns from people who found them in their new houses, which belonged to the previous owners. Most of the times, the weapons are kept in basements" representative of the region's Ministry of Internal Affairs, Irina Craveț said.

Experts claim that all the weapons and ammunition that are not controlled, present a danger for the zone's security.

"If this initiative is a sincere one, it will bring benefits. In 1991 - 1992 separatists have gotten their hands of thousands and thousands of guns, tanks, this number of weapons being impossible to control" head of the "Credinţa Patriei" Association, Ghenadie Cosovan said.

On the other hand, there is no way to calculate how many weapons and ammunition are still owned by the population.

"The process to withdraw guns from storage and the black market continues, so far no one came forward empty handed after the conflict ended. We received thousands of cartridges and hundreds of grenades" former member of Joint Control Commission (JCC), Ion Leahu said.

Last summer, the Parliament from Chisinau has requested the withdrawal from Moldova's territories of Russian troops and ammunition. This declarations was voted by 61 deputies. According to multiple sources, in warehouses from Cobasna are held over 20 000 tons of armament.