TIRASPOL, May 11 (RIA Novosti) - Public organizations in Moldova's breakaway region of Transdnestr have appealed to Russia's president and parliament, asking them to send more troops into the region.
The Anti-Blockade Coordinating Council of Public Organizations, set up in the wake of what the organizations call an economic blockade against Transdnestr, said it was concerned about steps being taken by the parties to the peace process, and feared they might spark a new conflict in the region.
"The public is particularly concerned about the Moldovan authorities' tendency to ignore the opinions of Transdnestr, a party to peace talks, and to force it to make unilateral concessions, which has been supported by Ukraine, acting as a guarantor [of the peace process]," the organizations said in their appeal.
The organizations said Moldova's political and economic moves had inflicted huge damage to the self-proclaimed republic.
In late April, Transdnestr said it had suffered losses of $112 million since Ukraine introduced new customs regulations in March, requiring that all Transdnestrian goods bound for Ukraine have an official Moldovan stamp.
Ukraine and Moldova, which seek integration into Europe, said they had resorted to the move to curb smuggling on the Transdnestrian border.
Russia sent humanitarian aid and transferred the first tranche of $10.23 million to the self-proclaimed republic.
Under 1998 agreements, Moldova and Transdnestr each have 500 troops in the region. Russia has voluntarily cut its contingent to 350 servicemen.
In 1992, when Russia intervened in the armed conflict at the Moldovan leader's request and brokered a ceasefire agreement, it had 2,400 troops in the region.
The conflict broke out when Moldova declared independence from the Soviet Union, and Transdnestr, with a majority Russian-speaking population followed suit. Russia sent in troops, ending the bloodshed, but no political solution has since been found.
