Contamination and Impact

Mines

Moldova believes that territory under its control is not mine-affected.[1] Moldova reported previously that it had completed the destruction of all antipersonnel mines in mined areas under its control by August 2000.[2] Antipersonnel and antivehicle mines are occasionally found during clearance of explosive remnants of war (ERW) across the entire country.

The extent to which the breakaway region of Transnistria is mine-affected remains unclear. In its Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 report for calendar year 2005, Moldova claimed that there were no mined areas containing antipersonnel mines on territory under its control, while acknowledging that it had no information on the situation in the breakaway region of Transnistria, which Moldova considers part of its territory.[3] Subsequent Article 7 reports have been marked “unchanged.”[4]

Cluster munition remnants

There is no evidence of cluster munition remnants on territory under the control of the government of Moldova. It is unclear whether the breakaway region of Transnistria is affected by cluster munition remnants, although there have been no reports of such contamination. Moldova became a State Party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions on 1 August 2010. In its initial transparency report in accordance with Article 7 of the Convention, the section on cluster-munition-contaminated areas under its jurisdiction or control (Form F) was reported as “not applicable” and a note added to the effect that “The Republic of Moldova is not a CMC [Cluster Munition Contaminated] affected country.”[5]

Other explosive remnants of war

Moldova is affected by other ERW left over from World War II, as well as “some dumping from the former Soviet military bases.”[6] According to local press reports, ERW are said to be found two or three times a month in Transnistria. The most affected localities are said to be Bender, Parcani, and Slobozea.[7]

Mine Action Program

There is no national mine action authority or mine action center in Moldova. All demining in Moldova is the responsibility of the National Army.[8]

Land Release

Since completing major clearance operations in 2000, Moldova has primarily cleared ERW. While the number of detected and destroyed ERW is significant, only a very few mines have been found in territory under the control of the government of Moldova in recent years.[9]

Transnistria may be mine-affected. Local media in Transnistria occasionally report instances of significant quantities of ordnance, including mines, being found there. For example, in August 2008 it was reported that 510 antipersonnel mines dating back to World War II had been found near Bender,[10] and in September 2009 it was reported that 304 Soviet-era antivehicle mines had been found near Ribnitsa.[11] In the former conflict area along the Nistru river where there was fighting in 1990–1992, arms and ammunition are reportedly found on a regular basis; these are disposed of by sappers attached to the joint Russian/Moldovan/Transnistria peacekeeping force in the area.[12]

Compliance with Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty

Under Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty, Moldova was required to destroy all antipersonnel mines in mined areas under its jurisdiction or control as soon as possible, but not later than 1 March 2011. During the Intersessional Standing Committee meetings in June 2008, Moldova stated that in “carrying out in good faith the obligations which it assumed by the Ottawa Convention, the Republic of Moldova completed, inter alia, the destruction of all anti-personnel mines far ahead of the established deadlines under Articles 4 and 5.”[13]

According to Moldova, it is already in compliance with Article 5 since it already destroyed all antipersonnel mines in mined areas in the territory under its control. With regard to the Transnistria region, which Moldova considers part of its territory but which it does not currently control, Moldova claims that until de facto control by the central government is restored, it has no obligation in Transnistria.[14]

Further, in contrast to the position it has expressed previously, in 2008 an official from the Moldovan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration declared that Moldova would need to request an extension to its Article 5 deadline.[15] In March 2009, however, an official from the same ministry contradicted this statement, stating that until the Moldovan government had restored its control over the territory of Transnistria, all discussions on this issue “would be irrelevant.”[16] The official repeated the statement in March 2010.[17] Moldova did not request an extension to its Article 5 deadline.

The Article 5 obligations, however, apply to all areas under a State Party’s jurisdiction as well as to areas under its control. Accordingly, the ICBL believes that should there remain any mined areas under Moldova’s jurisdiction but not its control, including in Transnistria, in order to be in compliance with the treaty, Moldova will need to have been granted an extension to its deadline.[18]