TIRASPOL, April 20 (RIA Novosti, Vladimir Sandutsa) - The economics minister of Moldova's breakaway region said Thursday that Transdnestr had suffered losses of $112 million since controversial new Ukrainian customs regulations put it under what it says is an effective blockade.
Elena Chernenko said the unrecognized republic's industrial output in the first three months of the year had fallen 19% year-on-year, whereas exports had dropped 59% to $80 million from $135 million in the same period of 2005.
She said exports since March 3 amounted to $5.5 million, an almost 10-fold drop on the average figure for the first two months.
Tensions around the situation in Transdnestr went up after Moldova imposed new customs regulations in early March that require all Transdnestr goods bound for Ukraine to have an official Moldovan stamp. The regulations were outlined by Moldova and Ukraine last year, and endorsed by the Ukrainian Cabinet March 1.
This move is the latest flare-up in the conflict over Transdnestr's status since an armed conflict 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.
