On November 30 – December 1, 2011, Vilnius, Lithuania, hosted the first after February 28, 2006 official meeting of the participants of the Permanent Conference on Political Issues in the Framework of the Pridnestrovien Settlement Negotiation Process, known as the 5+2 format consisting of the sides (Moldova and Pridnestrovie), mediators (the Russian Federation, Ukraine and the OSCE), and observers (the USA and the European Union).
The meeting took place in accordance with decisions adopted in the course of the Moscow round of consultations which took place on June 21 and September 22, at which the decision on resumption of official work of this negotiation format was made, and Lithuanian Chairmanship of the OSCE suggested Vilnius as the venue of a meeting.
Opening the Vilnius round, OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania A. Azubalis expressed appreciation to the participants of the meeting for the manifested responsibility and political will to conduct a constructive and mutually respectful dialogue.
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Pridnestrovien Moldavian Republic, representative on political issues from Pridnestrovie Vladimir Yastrebchak gave his assessment of the current situation. According to him, all participants of the Permanent Conference came to the conscious decision regarding the resumption of its official work.
Particular role in adoption of the given decision belongs to Head of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Pridnestrovien Moldavian Republic I. Smirnov and Prime-Minister of the Republic of Moldova V. Filat who in the course of the meetings in Bad Reichenhall (September 9, 2011) and Bendery (November 21, 2011) coordinated a number of principled positions that allowed deblocking official work of the Permanent Conference.
Nevertheless, the Minister emphasized, oficialization of cooperation of the sides, mediators and observers in the 5+2 format shouldn't warrant disregard of all those matters that were earlier put in the agenda.
Among them are problems connected with securing free foreign economic activity of Pridnestrovie, restart of regular automobile and railway communication, administrative prosecution of the citizens of Russia and Ukraine living in Pridnestrovie, and criminal prosecution of officials of the Pridnestrovien Moldavian Republic. The Minister reminded, these questions were defined as priority ones as far back as two years ago, in November 2009. One has to admit, there is no substantial progress on the given issues so far.
Therefore, the Pridnestrovien side expressed its opinion that official work of the Permanent Conference will become additional impetus for stepping-up equal work of the profiled departments of the two sides for solution of existing problems.
The Pridnestrovien side reaffirmed its readiness for a constructive dialogue in the framework of the Permanent Conference under unconditional observance of the principles of equality, mutual respect and the need to elaborate a comprehensive system of guarantees of the settlement.
Discussion at the Vilnius round was mainly focused on the principles and procedures of the work of the Permanent Conference on Political Issues in the Framework of the Pridnestrovien Settlement Negotiation Process. All participants of the meeting presented results of their preparatory work, the Pridnestrovien side including (on November 5, 2011, during the visit by the delegation of mediators, guarantors and observers to Pridnestrovie), and OSCE Mission prepared an overall project which took into account submitted considerations of the participants.
The sides, observers and mediators studied in detail the submitted initiatives and proceeded to direct accommodation of concrete positions. Common understanding was reached between participants of the format on a number of norms relating to the basis of the work of the Permanent Conference, as well as principles and procedures of its work.
However, we have to state that the number of principled positions has found no consensus of the sides and other participants. Such positions include fixing of the principle of equal status, formal and legal fixing of results of official rounds, fulfillment of earlier reached agreements, and others.
The work on the fundamental principles and procedures of the Permanent Conference is supposed to be continued in the course of the next round of official work in the 5+2 format. Future Ireland's Chairmanship of the OSCE suggested that the next round be held in the capital of Ireland, Dublin.
