PACE officially recognizes Transnistria as a zone of Russian occupation
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has acknowledged that Russia has occupied part of Moldova, Transnistria.
The PACE backed a resolution recognizing Russia's armed aggression against Moldova in 1992 and Russia's occupation of Transnistria.
Earlier, PACE members from Romania, Ukraine, France, Estonia, Great Britain, Georgia, and Turkey suggested that the assembly officially recognize the Russian occupation of Moldova.
The decision declares that earlier "Russia committed an act of military aggression against the Republic of Moldova and, accordingly, the occupation of its Transnistrian region."
This is the first official recognition of Transnistria as an "occupied territory" at this level. Until now, the Council of Europe has called the territory "under the effective control of the Russian Federation" the harshest wording. As a rule, the documents of the Council of Europe and other organizations generally avoided wording about the status.
