Unrecognised Transnistria, a part of Moldova that broke away in the early 1990s, has asked Russia for help, citing Chisinau's economic blockade. The declaration was adopted by a congress of so-called deputies, the BBC reports.
The previous such congress was held in 2006. Back then, Tiraspol appealed to the Russian State Duma to recognise Transnistria's independence.
In the referendum that took place then, 97.1% of local residents voted for independence with subsequent accession to Russia, according to the Transnistrian authorities.
The convening of the new congress sparked rumours of preparations for a similar appeal to Moscow in the context of Russia's war against Ukraine. However, the day before, Tiraspol denied these rumours and stated that they had no plans to apply to Russia for membership.
Officially, the Transnistrian authorities did not comment on reports of a possible request for accession.
Instead, they claimed that Chisinau was exerting economic pressure and blocking the negotiation process between Moldova and the unrecognised republic. This is exactly what the declaration voted for by the congress says.
The deputies asked for "the implementation of measures to protect Transnistria in the face of increasing pressure from Moldova" – taking into account the residence in the unrecognised republic of 220,000 people with Russian passports and "the unique positive experience of Russian peacekeeping on the Dniester".
The Moldovan side denies Tiraspol's accusations.
"I can assure you that we have no plans for a military takeover or forcing the region to become part of Moldova. The only solution is the full reintegration of the region. All we want is the gradual return of Tiraspol to the legal framework. We are not considering any other scenarios," said Oleg Serebryan, Moldova's Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration.
Background. Earlier it was reported that Russia may be preparing an operation in Transnistria to destabilise Moldova and Ukraine's grain exports.