Ukraine has introduced a complete food blockade of Transnistria, 10% of the population of the PMR will remain without work
Ukraine has banned the transit through its territory of food cargo heading to Transnistria since May 20.
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It is reported Press service of the President of the PMR.
Kyiv’s decision was announced at an emergency meeting of the Transnistrian Security Council, convened by the President of the PMR Vadim Krasnoselsky.
Minister of Agriculture and Natural Resources of the PMR Efimy Koval said that the day before the Ministry of Agriculture received a letter from the State Service of Ukraine on food safety and consumer protection. It reports a ban on the transit of goods to Transnistria through the territory of Ukraine.
The authors of the document refer to the order of the chief state inspector of veterinary medicine of Ukraine, dated May 17 of this year, which determined that from May 20, the passage of controlled cargo in transit through the territory of Ukraine, which is sent to Transnistria, will be carried out only subject to agreement with the National Agency for food safety in Moldova.
The initiator of the ban, as reported in the letter, was the Main Directorate for Counterintelligence Protection of State Interests in the Economic Sphere of the SBU. According to Ukrainian counterintelligence experts, such a decision should help “localize threats to national security.”
Previous approvals for transit through the territory of Ukraine in the Transnistrian direction were declared invalid.
Koval reported at the meeting that “in 2017 alone, 83 applications were submitted for 293 vehicles, and more than 6 thousand tons of cargo were transported to Pridnestrovie, which enter the republic through the Ukrainian port from 29 countries of the world.”
Taking into account the external food dependence of Transnistria, the head of the Ministry of Agriculture assessed the current situation extremely negatively, noting that “Ukraine’s decision will have a negative impact on the food supply of the republic.”
“Given our dependence on external food producers, the problem is very serious,” the minister noted. According to him, the ban may affect not only goods that transit through the territory of Ukraine, but also Ukrainian food products themselves produced on its territory.
In 2014-2016 Chisinau and Kyiv consistently increased pressure and blockade sanctions, blocking the supply of goods to the PMR by rail.
And by the end of 2017, Moldova and Ukraine intend to finally close the blockade ring, establishing joint control along the entire section of the Transnistrian-Ukrainian border on Ukrainian territory. The first joint post “Kuchurgan - Pervomaiskoe” is planned to open before the end of May.
According to Transnistrian authorities, this will cause direct damage to the PMR economy in the amount of about $40 million, and will also leave about 10% of the republic’s population without work and livelihood.
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