Ukraine is ready to prepare a "green corridor" for the withdrawal of Russian troops and weapons from Colbasna. Moldovan Defense Minister Anatol Salaru and his Ukrainian counterpart Stepan Poltorak have reached an agreement to this effect during discussions yesterday in Odessa.

Asked by Deschide.MD reporter, Anatol Salaru declared that ammunition from Colbasna is an enormous danger for the Republic of Moldova, as well as for Ukraine and Transnistria. So, in this regard, the plan of withdrawal for the weapons and the Operational Group of Russian Forces (OGRF) will be finalized by the end of the year.

"We have discussed the creation of a special corridor for Russian soldiers, who are in Transnistria and for the weapons and ammunition stored at Colbasna. I was officially informed that the Ukrainian side is ready to prepare a corridor for the evacuation of Russian troops and weapons. We agreed that our experts will be sent to Ukraine to develop the technical side: to examine ways out of Moldova, entrance in Ukraine, where they will be able to circulate. After that we will inform OSCE, because we want this operation to be under the aegis of OSCE and UN. We will have another official meeting to finalize the discussions and approve the steps to take in the operation of withdrawal of weapons from Transnistria by the end of this year. We will call upon international institutions to put pressure on Russia to withdraw its troops and army. We provide all the paths: sea, land and air," he told us.

Anatol Şalaru specified that even practically Moldova will not incur expenditure, and some of ammunition, which is in serious condition of degradation will be destroyed with material and financial support of the United States and OSCE. On this line, will disappear a huge danger for all, and that's because at Colbasna are located ammunitions from the '40s.

Likewise, the officials also discussed the current situation in our countries. In this regard, Anatol Salaru asked the Ukrainian part to declare the PSRM leader Igor Dodon an undesirable person in the neighboring country.

"His statements are a very dangerous precedent. In the case that he recognizes the annexation of Crimea in the referendum, the same can be done for Transnistria, and they made a referendum demanding the unification with Russia," he said.

We recall that Salaru previously talked about three ways of withdrawing the weapons: by land (through the territory of Ukraine); by air (the airport Marculesti) and sea (via Giurgiulesti). "We provide them with all the conditions, they need only to want," said Salaru.

The Minister of Defense stressed that Operational Group of Russian Forces has a contingent of 1,200 troops, less than 1,000, of which only 500-600 are professional soldiers. In fact, the Russian Federation has resorted to a trick and changed the peacekeeping troops, which officially came to Moldova with OGRF troops. Thus, the Russian military could accomplish rotation. To the rotation contributed also the recruitment of Transnistrian population.