Today Tiraspol office of the OSCE Mission saw a meeting between the representatives of intermediaries, guarantors and observers in negotiation process on Pridnestrovian settlement from the Russian Federation, Ukraine, the OSCE, the USA and the European Union and heads of Pridnestrovian and Moldovan expert (working) groups. The meeting was led by Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the Pridnestrovian settlement process, Ambassador Erwan Fouere. Participating in the meeting also were Ukrainian Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova Sergey Pirozhkov, Special Representative at the Pridnestrovian conflict settlement negotiations Igor Kharchenko, Head of the EU Delegation to Moldova Dirk Schuebel, and the USA State Department Moldova Desk Officer Wendy Stancer.
During the meeting heads of expert (working) groups told about the outcomes of their activity over last nine month and marked the problems that remain unsolved.
Svetlana Fadeeva, head of expert group on education emphasized that within the activity of the profile group it was managed to develop interaction with Moldovan experts on a number of aspects. The sides cooperate in the sphere of implementation of educational practices, organization and holding of sporting events for children, summer health-improving campaign. However, there are issues that have not found positive reaction from the Moldovan side. In particular, there are problems of provision of optimal procedure of nostrification of Pridnestrovian educational documents (without withdrawal of the original) and the issues connected with functioning of Moldovan schools with teaching on Latin script located in Pridnestrovie.
Answering the questions of journalists at the end of the meeting, Svetlana Fadeeva noticed that the topic of nostrification received certain dynamics. “Today the Moldovan side familiarized the participants of the sitting with the project of the order of the Minister of Education of the Republic of Moldova on implementation of corresponding changes of the procedure of nostrification of Pridnestrovian documents; the Pridnestrovian analog will not be withdrawn”, she said. However, according to the expert, it is only the first step on the way to settlement of the problems with nostrification. “Unfortunately, the core of the problem is not only in withdrawal of the documents but in the necessity for Pridnestrovian students to pass the exams, the so-called “difference”, which includes Romanian literature and Romanian language,” Svetlana Fadeeva explained.
Minister of Education of the PMR also confirmed the unwillingness of the Moldovan side to move forward in the decision of the problem of Moldovan schools with teaching on Latin script located in Pridnestrovie. Tiraspol made a number of steps simplifying the activity of these schools. “Schools are working without any impediments, they are provided with everything needed for full-scale educational process,” the expert reported. According to her, the Pridnestrovian side also proposed simplified form of licensing of such kind of educational institutions on the territory of Pridnestrovie; this initiative was supported by the OSCE. However, the Moldovan side declined this proposition. “The protocols with our propositions which were submitted three month ago are not signed,” Svetlana Fadeeva made a conclusion.
Alexander Trenchuk, representative of the expert group on telecommunications and postal service regretted that due to lack of understanding from the Moldovan side the work of the group can't be called successful. According to Pridnestrovian expert, restrictive measures adopted by the Moldovan side in providing conditions for transmission of TV channels is pure and simple violation of human rights.
It should be reminded that on the basis of the principle of good will Pridnestrovie provided transmission of two Moldovan TV channels – ‘Publika TV' and ‘Moldova 1' on the territory of the PMR for 9 months of 2012. At the same time Pridnestrovian experts on telecommunications have been engaged in talks with their Moldovan counterparts in order to provide presence of ‘First Pridnestrovian TV channel' in the Moldova's viewing grid. However, Moldovan side did not demonstrate readiness to make a reciprocal move. Due to this on November 1 TV channel ‘Publika TV' was removed from Pridnestrovian viewing grid. If there is no further progress in this issue, since December 1, 2012 transmission of the ‘Moldova 1' TV channel will also be terminated on the territory of Pridnestrovie. According to Pridnestrovian expert, Moldovan side lacks defined arguments in this issue.
Maya Parnas, head of the expert group on economy, also noted activation of its work. At the same time she expressed concerns with number of problems which don't meet understanding from Moldovan colleagues. “Pressure upon our economic agents increased, we found no contact points in banking sphere, there are no agreements reached in facilitating procedures of conducting foreign economic activity. We hope that during next meetings some common positions shall be found and the sides will manage to reach certain agreements because life of Pridnestrovian economic agents and welfare of Pridnestrovian citizens depend on these matters”, – Maya Parnas said. She pointed out that in response to argumentation of Pridnestrovian side representatives of Moldova's working group announced the necessity of acquisition of license from the Republic of Moldova by the Pridnestrovian Republican Bank, thus proposing Pridnestrovian bank to operate in Moldova's legal framework.
In spite of a complex of unresolved problems in work of expert (working) groups of the sides, Erwan Fouere and Jennifer Brush appreciated work of experts in spheres of healthcare, crime prevention, railroad transport. “In Vienna we said that the results achieved by these groups are the example of how really the work should be done”, – Head of the OSCE Mission in Moldova said.
At the end of the meeting Erwan Fouere expressed opinion that dynamics of meetings of the expert (working) groups should be preserved. “There is plenty of work, that is why the meetings should be made even more intensive. It is necessary to demonstrate more good will, flexibility, willingness to reach compromise. I address this to political representatives of the sides i.a. Both sides should remember that all their work is done for one goal – to improve life conditions of population on both banks of Dniester”, – Special Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office summarized the results of the meeting.
