The Joint Control Commission (, COC; , ОКК) is a tri-lateral
peacekeeping
Peacekeeping comprises activities, especially military ones, intended to create conditions that favor lasting peace. Research generally finds that peacekeeping reduces civilian and battlefield deaths, as well as reduces the risk of renewed w ...
force and joint military command structure from
Moldova
Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. ...
,
Transnistria
Transnistria, officially known as the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic and locally as Pridnestrovie, is a Landlocked country, landlocked Transnistria conflict#International recognition of Transnistria, breakaway state internationally recogn ...
, and
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
that operates in a
demilitarized zone on the
border between the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. The disputed territory between the two is controlled by the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (Transnistria, PMR). The JCC is also known as the Unified Control Commission.
History
Following the
Transnistria War, the Joint Control Commission was established on the initiative of
Moldovan and
Russian presidents
Mircea Snegur and
Boris Yeltsin
Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin (1 February 1931 – 23 April 2007) was a Soviet and Russian politician and statesman who served as President of Russia from 1991 to 1999. He was a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) from 1961 to ...
by the signing of a
cease-fire agreement on July 21, 1992. It consists of soldiers and officers from
Moldovan,
Transnistian and
Russian military. In 1998, the commission was enlarged by the addition of 10
Ukrainian officers as
military observers. Moreover, the
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is a regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization comprising member states in Europe, North America, and Asia. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, the p ...
also has a Transnistria-based observation mission and participates in all JCC meetings. The current peacekeeping mechanism is a multi-state mission equipped with an international mandate that began deployment on 29 July 1992.
Of the three original sides supplying troops,
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
has traditionally provided the most with
Moldova
Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. ...
second and the smallest contingent provided by Transnistria. As of 2006, however, both Moldova and the PMR participate with slightly more soldiers than Russia: Moldova currently supplies 403 men to the force, the PMR 411 men and Russia up to 385 men.
On 1 January 2012 a citizen was fatally wounded by the Russian side. This event and its sequelae are known in these pages as the
2012 Moldova security zone incident.
In April 2023 during the
Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...
concern was expressed over an unheralded, and therefore suspicious, Russian troop movement. The Russian side said that it was a mistake while an American expert stated that this event could be a probe.
Mission
The Joint Control Commission is charged with ensuring observance of the ceasefire and security arrangements and has generally been successful, as the armed conflict has not at any time re-erupted since 1992. The
demilitarized
A demilitarized zone (DMZ or DZ) is an area in which treaties or agreements between states, military powers or contending groups forbid military installations, activities, or personnel. A DZ often lies along an established frontier or boundary ...
buffer zone, known locally as the Dniester Valley Security Zone, or simply Security Zone,
roughly follows the outline of the
Dniester river. It is 225 kilometres long and from 1 to 15 kilometres wide.
As per the 1992 agreement with Moldova, Russia has a right to keep 2,400 troops in Transnistria. However, as of 2006 the number of Russian troops was just 1,500, with between 349 and 385 of those assigned to JCC at any given time.
In 2023 the number of troops was reported to be "about 1,500 men".
See also
*
Cobasna ammunition depot
*
Russian military presence in Transnistria
References
Bibliography
#
#
External links
* http://www.okk-pridnestrovie.org/p0088.htm
Transnistria conflict
History of Transnistria since 1991
Transnistria War
Politics of Transnistria
Political organizations based in Transnistria
Politics of Moldova
Military of Moldova
Military of Russia
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