The Russian and Transdnestrian delegations to the three-party Joint Control Commission responsible for security in the buffer zone between Moldova and the unrecognized republic said following a meeting that the inspection was necessary to "look into the united peacekeeping contingent's activities, their locations, and service conditions."
They also invited Moldova, which has shunned JCC meetings for nearly a year, to join the tour of peacekeeping posts.
"As soon as the commission gathers in full, we will put the idea into action," said Viktor Shanin, the Russian co-chairman of the commission.
Shanin said Moldova could come back to meetings in the near future, as the dispute over the village of Dorotskoye, a Moldovan entity with farmland on Transdnestrian territory, had almost been resolved. Moldova had cited Dorotskoye as a reason for not attending meetings.
The latest flare-up in the conflict over Transdnestr's status was the imposition of new customs regulations, requiring that all goods bound for Ukraine have an official Moldovan stamp. On April 4, Tiraspol said its export losses were $50.2 mln, while losses for goods stranded at customs were $15.4 mln.
Russia sent humanitarian aid to Transdnestr after local authorities there said the region was facing a humanitarian catastrophe.
Armed conflict between Moldova and Transdnestr broke out in March 1992, when Moldova declared its independence from the Soviet Union and Transdnestr in turn proclaimed itself a republic. Russia intervened in the conflict at the Moldovan president's request and the Russian and Moldovan presidents signed a ceasefire agreement in the presence of the leader of Transdnestr in July 1992.
