TIRASPOL, July 25 (RIA Novosti) - Transdnestr's independence should be recognized for the population's rights and freedoms to be ensured, the foreign minister of the unrecognized Moldovan republic said Saturday.

"Independence for Transdnestr is not an end in itself. Our strategic task is to ensure the rights and freedoms of the population, while independence is a means to achieve it, a guarantee that these rights will not be infringed upon," Vladimir Yastrebchak told journalists.

The Russian-speaking province of Transdnestr has maintained de facto independence from Moldova since a brief war in 1992, which was the culmination of tensions following the breakup of the Soviet Union.

Russia has had peacekeepers in the region since July 1992, and the negotiation process has been frozen since February 2006.