from Moldova’s civil society representatives
on the urgent need to replace the current peacekeeping mission on the Nistru River
Relying on the principles and values of democracy, based on respect for human dignity, promoted by and enshrined in key international documents, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms;
Noting that the current so-called peacekeeping format
• was ab initio constituted with severe violations of the principles and conditions of an international peacekeeping mission, comprising only the warring parties and falling short of the minimum standards for an International Peace Mission;
• doesn’t have any temporal limitation for its functioning, being politically, morally and internationally outworn;
• represents a real threat to the peace and security of Moldova as well as to individual security;
• is an inertial factor and an institutional obstacle to the political process of settling the Transnistrian conflict, this problem being a major impediment in the development of the country and having a negative impact on the population living on both sides of the Nistru;
• has been merely an instrument for protecting an illegitimate regime that appeared within the territory of Moldova and which has constantly neglected and violated the fundamental human rights and freedoms of the people living in the Transnistrian region, including in the so-called Security Zone, which was installed under a ceasefire agreement on 2 July 1992;
Considering and welcoming the fact that between November 30 and December 1, 2011 a formal “5+2” meeting was held in Vilnius, after a break of several years, as well as the fact that an Agenda has been established for a new meeting in February 2012 in Ireland;
Expressing condolences to the Pisari family from the village of Pirita, Dubasari district, whose 18-year-old son was killed on 1 January 2012 after being shot in the back by an officer from the so-called peacekeeping force;
Registering over the years further incidents with the illegal, abusive and disproportionate involvement of members of the so-called peacekeeping operation;
Noting that the plenary meeting of the European Parliament is due to take place during 16-19 January 2012, followed by the plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe during 23-27 January 2012;
Recalling that the “5+2” format is the only internationally recognized setting for the settlement of the Transnistrian conflict and that its agenda is established by the member parties of this format;
Expressing our deep concern about the dramatic human rights situation in the Transnistrian region and about the absence of a legal and effective mechanism for defending and protecting all individuals, citizens or stateless persons;
Further expressing concern over the escalated situation as a result of the actions by the peacekeeping forces as well as over the social tensions in the communities located in the Security Zone and near the peacekeeping posts, caused in particular by the killing of an innocent young man;
Assuming that the joint efforts of all the actors participating in the “5+2” settlement format primarily aim at resolving of the Transnistrian issue, according to the official declarations pledging respect for the principles of international law concerning the settlement of conflicts by exclusively peaceful means, as well as respect for human rights and for Moldova’s territorial integrity;
We are appealing to all the parties interested in the peace and security in this region of Moldova to endorse the following urgent actions:
• We request the urgent replacement of the current peacekeeping mission, which exists in a military format and which falls short of the UN peacekeeping standards, with a genuinely civil mission under an international mandate;
• We request that Russia unconditionally fulfills all the commitments under the 1999 OSCE Summit in Istanbul, in particular those concerning the full and orderly withdrawal of troops and military stockpiles from this region of Moldova;
• We request the strict observance of all the provisions of the 1992 Moldova-Russia Ceasefire Agreement, in particular of Art.5 on the freedom of movement of people, goods and services within the territory of Moldova;
• We request an investigation, which is thorough, transparent and with international involvement, into the circumstances and causes that led to the death of Vadim Pisari, and which should establish to what extent the actions of the peacekeeping officer were appropriate for the situation and consistent with his mission;
We are further calling on all media organizations to correctly and impartially report on the developments in the wake of the fatal incident that occurred on 1 January 2012.
Chisinau, January 16, 2012