Vitaly Ignatiev Met with the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Thomas Mayr-Harting

05/25/21

The Pridnestrovian Foreign Ministry hosted a meeting between the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the PMR Vitaly Ignatiev and the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Thomas Mayr-Harting. The meeting was also attended by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Sweden to the Republic of Moldova Anna Lieberg and the Head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova Klaus Neukirch; the Pridnestrovian side was represented by the Chairman of the Advisory Assembly of First Pridnestrovian Deputies, the First President of the PMR Igor Smirnov, the co-chairman of the Pan-Pridnestrovian People's Forum, President of the Union of Industrialists, agrarians and entrepreneurs of Pridnestrovie Yuri Cheban and the Head of the Public Chamber of the PMR Vladimir Ladunkin.

It turned out possible discussing in detail the current problems in the Moldovan-Pridnestrovian dialogue due to the wide composition of the Pridnestrovian delegation at the meeting and as well due to opinion leaders’ involvement who are well acquainted with the Pridnestrovian society’s mood and population’s perception of the negotiation process.

Opening the meeting, Vitaly Ignatiev stated that Pridnestrovian-Moldovan relations continue deteriorating. “Pressure measures are being kept, there is a package of agreements that has not yet been implemented. All this raises concern and is being a threat for the PMR, for the Pridnestrovian population. Therefore, representatives of authoritative Pridnestrovian public structures have been invited to talk today taking into account the very alarming tendencies and the extremely difficult situation within negotiations,” the diplomat said.

During the meeting, a substantive discussion took place on the state of regulating the relations process between Pridnestrovie and the Republic of Moldova with special emphasis on pressing problems and challenges. In particular, the Minister drew attention to the continuing detention practice, interrogations and in-depth examinations of representatives of the PMR authorities at the Chisinau airport. In this context, he called for an early situation settlement by returning to the mechanism determined by parties in the 2019 Agreement that was concluded through the OSCE Mission’s mediation.

Separately, the sides considered the complex of problematic aspects as to the planning introduction of the so-called "Second Phase" of the Joint Moldovan-Ukrainian Customs and Border Control at the Kuchurgany checkpoint. Interlocutors also dwelled on the situation within the road transport sector, including the announced ban for vehicles with Pridnestrovian numbers plates to enter Ukraine starting with September 1. The Minister stated the inadmissibility of this destructive measure being implemented when there’s a whole list of problems within the VRO’s activities which were identified with the participation of the OSCE Mission, including the issue of driver's licenses, the impossibility of registering freight and passenger vehicles, etc.

The working discussion with the OSCE CiO Special Representative was continued during the meeting with the Pridnestrovian President Vadim Krasnoselsky.