Moldova seeks NATO support in withdrawing Russian troops from Transnistria

Acting President Mihai Ghimpu sent a letter to the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Anders Fogh Rasmussen, asking him to provide support in the pullout of the Russian troops from the Transnistrian region.

In his letter, Mihai Ghimpu says that Russia pledged to withdraw its troops and munitions from the Transnistrian region at the Istanbul OSCE Summit of 1999, but did not do it, violating thus the international law norms and the Constitution of Moldova. They are a permanent source of danger to Moldova’s security and a source that fuels the separatism in Transnistria, he said, adding the foreign military presence undermines the international community’s efforts to peacefully resolve the Transnistrian dispute.