July 21 (SeeNews) - Moldova's parliament on Friday demanded the withdrawal of Russian forces from the break-away region of Transnistria.
"The Parliament declares that the permanent stationing of the Russian Federation troops on Moldova's territory constitutes a violation of constitutional provisions, especially regarding the independence, sovereignty and permanent integrity of the Republic of Moldova," the declaration posted on the parliament's website reads.
The declaration was signed by 61 members of Moldova's 101-seat parliament representing the governing Democratic Party (PD) as well as other pro-European forces, the Liberal Party (PL) and the Liberal Democratic Party (PLDM).
MPs from opposition Party of Socialists (PSRM) backed by pro-Russian president Igor Dodon left the parliament hall in protest.
President Dodon strongly condemned the declaration, calling it 'a provocative act'.
"These actions are aimed at worsening relations with Russia and undermining the successes that we, together with the Russian leadership, have managed to achieve in the area of exports of Moldovan products, in the situation with migrants, in regional cooperation and in education and humanitarian programmes," Dodon said in a post on Facebook on Friday.
Around a tenth of the ex-Soveit state's population of three million is living in the internationally unrecognised separatist republic of Transnistria, which broke away from Moldova in the 1990s. They speak Russian and identify themselves as Russians.
After a violent separation in 1992, Russia decided to station several thousand troops in the area to support the separatist republic.
In 2006, Transinistria held a referendum which showed that a broad majority of the population supports independence from Moldova and adherence to the Russian Federation. The results of the referendum were not recognized by the international community.
This is the parliament's second controversial action this week. On Thursday, MPs decided to replace the country's proportional electoral system with a mixed one, sparking protests in front of parliament building.
Moldova has strong historical and political ties with its western neighbour Romania, with more than 75% of the population speaking Romanian.
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