On the Meeting of the Expert (Working) Groups of Pridnestrovie and the Republic of Moldova on Telecommunication and Postal Service

09/09/14
On the Meeting of the Expert (Working) Groups of Pridnestrovie and the Republic of Moldova on Telecommunication and Postal Service

On September 9, 2014 the OSCE Office in Tiraspol hosted the meeting of the expert (working) groups of Pridnestrovie and the Republic of Moldova on Telecommunication and Postal Service. The agreement to hold the session was reached at the meeting of the political representatives on August 25, 2014.The experts had to discuss the problem resulting from unilateral actions taken by Moldova's authorities in selling radio frequencies used long in Pridnestrovie to Moldovan telecommunications operators (800 MHz frequency range). 

During today's meeting the Pridnestrovian experts brought their concerns to the Moldovan colleagues' notice that the Moldovan side was still taking unilateral decisions on the use of radio frequencies on the territory of Moldova and Pridnestrovie.  It was noted that during two meetings held in March and April of 2014, the Moldovan side did not inform Pridnestrovie's representatives about any plans to sell radio frequencies used in Pridnestrovie. The Pridnestrovian side learnt about it from media reporting.

In order to prevent negative effects on people caused by mutual interference created by Pridnestrovie and Moldova's telecommunication operators, the Pridnestrovian experts invited the Moldovan side to find technical solutions promptly that would allow to use jointly radio frequencies without prejudice to the operators and people of Pridnestrovie and the Republic of Moldova.

The Moldovan experts turned out not to be ready to substantive discussion on possible technical decisions requiring  to be taken rapidly by all concerned parties, and made only a reference to the existing regulatory legal acts adopted in Moldova regulating the radio-frequency spectrum use.

The Pridnestrovian experts therefore expressed the readiness to provide their substantive proposals in the draft protocol of the meeting which would be sent to the Moldovan side for approval. Pridnestrovie counts on early consideration of the proposals aimed at settlement of the problem with agreed use of radio frequencies in 800 MHz range.

During the meeting the Moldovan experts raised the issue on work rules existing in Pridnestrovie for Moldovan journalists.

The head of the expert group of Pridnestrovie Olga Petrakova reminded therefore that the comprehensive information on the existing rules of accreditation of foreign journalists for working in the republic the Pridnestrovian side had provided to the Moldovan experts at the meeting held in March 14, 2014.