Moldova Asks Russia To Withdraw Troops

Moldova's government has called on Moscow to withdraw troops and weapons from its separatist Transdniester region.

The Foreign Ministry appealed to Russia on August 5 to pull out its 1,500 troops and thousands of tons of weapons from Transdniester in accordance with commitments made at a 1999 summit of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

On August 4, Moscow accused Moldova and Ukraine of trying to block Russia's access to its troops in Transdniester.

Transdniester broke away from Moldova in 1990 over fears it planned to reunite with Romania. Some 1,500 people died in a 1992 war.

Moscow earlier this month placed an embargo on Moldovan fruit, after Chisinau signed an association agreement in June with the European Union.

With additional reporting by AP