ABSTRACT
Ukraine's temporary independence made continuing Moldova's political ties with Russia difficult because of the geographical separation between Moldova and Russia. In spite of Moldovan protests at the Joint Control Commission, the peacekeepers have often favoured the Transdniestrians in their efforts to build administrative structures within the disputed territory. The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE) responded to a Moldovan request for assistance at the time of the 1992 conflict and sent a mission to Moldova in early 1993 to aid in the negotiations. While a small CSCE/OSCE mission in Moldova has been in place since 1993 to monitor the truce, it has had only limited access to the peacekeeping activities of the Joint Control Commission. The presence of a major military unit, a developed military-industrial complex, and a population culturally oriented to Moscow made Transdniestr a natural object of Moscow's attention when the rest of Moldova was rejecting the centre.
