Abkhazia Condemns Ukrainian-Moldovan Customs Rules

The leadership of breakaway Abkhazia stated on March 7 that new customs regulations between Ukraine and Moldova is an economic blockade of the unrecognized Transdnestrian republic and political pressure on this breakaway region.

According to the new regulations, all goods exported to Ukraine from Transdniestria should be cleared by Moldovan customs officials starting on March 3, meaning that the unrecognized republic should pay taxes to the Moldovan government.

“This economic blockade will fail to break the will and aspiration of the people for freedom and independence,” Sergey Shamba, Foreign Minister of breakaway Abkhazia was quoted by Apsnipress news agency.

“Even the Georgian side… has started to understand the necessity to say ‘no’ to these measures [economic blockades] in order to reach a certain level of confidence between the sides,” he added.

Abkhaz leader Sergey Bagapsh described Ukraine’s new customs regulations as “undisguised political pressure” on Transdnestria.