Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Moldova

Russia Criticizes Ukraine's Custom Rules For Transdniester

Protesters demonstrate against the new customs rules on the Ukraine-Moldova border, March 9 (ITAR-TASS)

March 14, 2006 -- Russia's foreign minister today criticized new customs rules imposed by Ukraine as part of a crackdown on smugglers crossing its border with Moldova's breakaway region of Transdniester.

TEXT SIZE - +

March 14, 2006

Sergei Lavrov today said the customs rules violated earlier agreements and were exacerbating an already bad humanitarian situation in Transdniester. He also criticized the West for endorsing the new rules.

Ukraine imposed the new rules earlier this month, prompting officials in Transdniester to accuse Kyiv of mounting an economic blockade.

Ukrainian Transport Minister Viktor Bondar said today Kyiv was meeting international obligations by imposing the new border rules.

Also today, British Ambassador to Moldova John Beyer told President Vladimir Voronin that Britain and the EU approved of Ukraine's enforcing of customs rules.

(AP)

RFE/RL Belarus, Ukraine, And Moldova Report

SUBSCRIBE For weekly news and analysis on Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova by e-mail, subscribe to "RFE/RL Belarus, Ukraine, And Moldova Report."

A vendor in the central Bosnian town of Zenica sells heart-shaped cushions with proclamations of love for 1 euro each.

Love It (Or Hate It), It's Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day, the Western holiday celebrating love, has become a global phenomenon over the past two decades. The fall of communism and the emergence of the Internet have helped February 14 become something of an unofficial international day of romance. However, not all the passions the holiday stirs are related to love. While some countries have openly embraced the holiday, others are attempting to ban it or replace it with local customs. More

'Police Detain Stuffed Animals' In Minsk Toy Protest

Belarusian youth activists say police have "detained" some stuffed animals used in an antigovernment protest in Minsk, in an echo of similar recent protests in Russia. More

There are frequent reports in the Bulgarian and Ukrainian media about Romanian “pirates” robbing passing transport ships on the Danube. (file photo)

Reports Of 'Pirates Of The Danube' Get The Old Heave-Ho

An attack last month on a Ukrainian barge on the Romanian sector of the Danube River has caused a diplomatic tussle between Bucharest and Kyiv, sparking media reports of possible acts of piracy on Europe's second-largest river. But do “Danube pirates” actually exist? More