Russia Considers Aid To Transdniester In Response To Ukrainian Blockade

Interfax
March 18, 2014

Russian govt to discuss problem of Russians in Transdniestria – Rogozin

MOSCOW: The Russian government plans to discuss measures of support for Transdniestria in connection with the blockade that Ukraine actually declared against this republic on March 20, said Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin.

“Transdniestria’s president was in Moscow last week. We met and he is expected to arrive in Moscow again shortly. Ukraine has actually announced Transdniestria’s blockade. The border between Ukraine and Transdniestria has been closed for men with Russian citizenship aged between 18 and 65. It is a flagrant violation of Ukraine’s status as a party in the talks and as a guarantor of peace efforts,” Rogozin told reporters on Tuesday before President Vladimir Putin’s address to the Federal Assembly.

Rogozin also said that the isolation of Transdniestria, which is populated by 200,000 Russian citizens and 70,000 citizens of Ukraine, is unacceptable. “We will discuss this, of course, in the government and with the president. On March 20 we will hold a serious and representative meeting with all profile ministries and agencies to let the Transdniestrian leadership know that there is a group of advisors in the Russian government on how the economic blockade should be tackled,” Rogozin said.

The situation in Transdniestria may deteriorate even more should Moldova sign an agreement with the European Union, he said.

“In fact, Chisinau does not at all think about Transdniestria and it is demonstrating that this land does not belong to it any more. We will make conclusions guided by this reality,” he said

Asked how the Russian government will react to Transdniestria’s possible request for joining Russia, Rogozin said that he would not like to make statements that would “stimulate certain action on the part of the Transdniestrian colleagues.”

“All of us have found ourselves in a very uneasy situation. The price of each word spoken is very high. We will react depending on how the request will be formulated,” Rogozin said.