The territorial dispute between Moldova and Ukraine took place from 1997 to 2012, despite the conclusion on October 23, 1992 of the Moldovan-Ukrainian Treaty on the Inviolability of Borders [1] . In 1999, according to an additional protocol, Moldova had to transfer part of its coastline along the Dniester and a section of the road near the village of Palanca in the Stefan-Vodsky region in exchange for the right to build the port of Giurgiulesti [2] . The dispute flared up after Ukraine accused Moldova of failing to comply with the conditions of the protocol, and Moldova said falsification of data that the coastline allegedly could be transferred to Ukraine. Border disputes were fought because the use of some roads was complicated by the existing borders. The dispute was about the village of Palanca and the port of Giurgiulesti [1] [3] .
Content
The crux of the matter
October 23, 1992 an agreement was signed between Ukraine and Moldova on the definition of the state border between the two countries. On August 4, 1998, Moldovan Prime Minister Ion Cubuk and Prime Minister of Ukraine Valery Pustovoitenko signed and recorded the agreement on transferring the part of the Odessa-Reni highway to Ukraine’s ownership and the land near the village of Palanca passing through Moldova, in exchange for which Moldova received 400 meter coastline near the city of Giurgiulesti with the right to build a port , and both parties pledged to build a joint checkpoint. In 1999, an additional protocol was added to the border treaty, signed by a deputy of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova Vasily Shova and a deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of the III convocation Petro Poroshenko , who provided for the following official actions [3] [4] :
The Republic of Moldova will transfer to Ukraine in full sovereignty, ownership, use and management of the Nishaliu river island (107.7 hectares) on the Lower Dniester, the current Moldovan segment of the Reni-Odessa highway, located within the Moldavian city of Palanca at the mouth of the Dniester, 7.77 km long, wide 23 m and a total area of 18 hectares, together with the corresponding lowlands, as well as the adjacent villages of Piscikola, Peshunya, Abdiou and Baybol (9.26 km²) or 10.5 km² of Moldovan territory in exchange for the corresponding territory adjacent to the Moldavian city of Giurgiulesti and the Ukrainian city of Reni : a territory adjacent to the Danube coast downstream to Giurgiulestam.
However, the protocol was blocked by Moldova for the reason that the territory near Giurgiulesht (coastline) already belonged to Moldova since 1940, and in 1992 it was allegedly transferred to Ukraine de facto without any bilateral agreements and without legal grounds on the verbal agreement of the prime minister. Moldavian Minister of Valery Muravsky and Prime Minister of Ukraine Pavel Lazarenko . To give 10.5 km ² of land in exchange for those that were already Moldovan, the Moldovan government did not collect [3] .
Arguments of the parties
In favor of Moldova
The Moldovan government refused to give Ukraine a 400-meter coastline or territory near the village of Palanca. The Moldovan authorities believed that the coastline originally belonged to Moldova and was “inalienable land” [5] , and the transfer of state land was prohibited by Moldovan laws, and therefore Ukraine received only road surface [2] , which was no more than the property of Ukraine in Moldova [ 6] . The mayor of the Stefan-Vodsky district Valery Beril even threatened to block the highway, saying that he would not allow any transfer of land to Ukraine [7] .
In favor of Ukraine
Some Ukrainian politicians believed that the transfer of land from Giurgiulesht Moldavia took place in violation of the laws of Ukraine: under Article 73 of the Constitution of Ukraine it was necessary to hold an internal referendum [8] . They regarded the refusal of Moldova to transfer the land as a violation of the protocol, but further official statements of intent to put pressure on Moldova and force it to complete the deal did not go. The construction of the port in Giurgiulesti could in the future become a serious economic threat to the Ukrainian port of Reni , which in 2009 lost about 300–400 thousand tons of annual grain cargo from Moldova and lost the products of the Rybnitsa metallurgical plant (partly due to the lack of a railway line - to the Moldovan port there was a railway from Cahul ) [5] .
End of Dispute
In the summer of 2011, the work on the implementation of the protocol of 1999 was finally completed [2] . On November 26, 2012, the issue of disputed territories near the village of Palanca was finally closed, the territory around the village remained behind Moldova, but the road was transferred to the ownership of Ukraine [9] .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 Vlad Kubryakov . TRATAT între Republica Moldova şi Ucraina cu privire la frontiera de stat (rum.) (Not available link) . Vlad Kubryakov's blog ( November 25, 2009 , 11:17). The appeal date is May 14, 2016. Archived on March 14, 2010.
- ↑ 1 2 3 Moldova and Ukraine closed the issue of disputed territories near the village of Palanca . Euroregion "Dniester". The appeal date is May 14, 2016.
- ↑ 1 2 3 Vlad Kubryakov . APROPO DE GIURGIULEŞTI sau despre „cedările” teritoriale ucrainene din capul gânditorilor suficienţi (rum.) . FLUX ( December 11, 2009 ). The appeal date is May 14, 2016.
- ↑ Pre-protocol protocol to the Treaty of Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova on the cordon of power transmission from the Government of Ukraine Odesa-Reni road… (ukr.)
- ↑ 1 2 Operkor. How Moldovans "bred" Ukraine. 10 years Moldova refuses to comply with the terms of the agreement on the exchange of territories with Ukraine. Chronicles and Comments ( January 10, 2011 ). The appeal date is May 14, 2016.
- ↑ Border problems of Ukraine and Moldova . Information and news resource of the PMR ( November 30, 2009 ). The appeal date is May 14, 2016.
- ↑ Population of Moldavian with. Palanka is ready to block the Odessa-Reni highway in order to prevent the transfer of land to Ukraine under the road . New region - Chisinau ( November 23, 2009 20:09). The appeal date is May 14, 2016.
- ↑ Moldavian port Giurgiulesti: there are more questions than answers . Information portal "Courier" ( January 14, 2016 ). The appeal date is May 14, 2016.
- ↑ Ukraine gave Moldova a disputed territory . Rosbalt ( November 26, 2012 5:00 pm). The appeal date is May 14, 2016.
Links
- Alexander Lapshin. Through Moldova without border control, or as Ukraine and Moldova changed lands . LiveJournal ( July 5, 2012 ). The appeal date is May 14, 2016.