President of Pridnestrovie Yevgeny Shevchuk met with the OSCE delegation headed by Special Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Ambassador Cord Hinrich Meier-Klodt. We remind that in 2016 Germany will chair the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Taking part in the meeting was also acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of the PMR Vitaly Ignatiev.
Welcoming the delegation, the President drew attention to the importance for the PMR to maintain contacts with the OSCE. “Pridnestrovie is always open to cooperation within the framework of international contacts,” said Yevgeny Shevchuk.
Cord Hinrich Meier-Klodt, in his turn, outlined that one of the priorities of the German Chairmanship is to give new impetus to the negotiation process. The Ambassador also informed the Pridnestrovian side of consultations held by him with members of the “5+2” format. “I think we have a common understanding that it is necessary to begin by addressing the specific issues that are important to people. This is about issues in the fields of transport, education, trade and telecommunications. All this should work. My goal is to restore this format not for the sake of meetings, but to fill it with real political significance, so that we can tackle the issues that are important for the parties,- said the Ambassador. - We look at the situation realistically and realize that we cannot solve all the problems for a couple of months: Rome was not built in a day.”
During the meeting, the PMR President said that the Pridnestrovian side puts certain hopes on the German chairmanship in the OSCE, despite the existence of a number of difficulties, including the lack of official meetings in the “5+2” format for about one and a half year. “A lot of additional problems have accumulated for this period of time. We hope that we will be able to remove the whole group of issues as part of the negotiation process. We have discussed the basic strategy that can lead us to success. We need the political will and desire. The tactics of “small steps” in the basic conditions may lead us to success. And we are sure about this,” said Yevgeny Shevchuk.
The President also drew the attention of meeting participants to the readiness of Pridnestrovie to discuss problems at the negotiating table in the framework of various formats to search for mutually beneficial compromise solutions to the problems affecting the economy and welfare of citizens. Yevgeny Shevchuk expressed hope that this can be achieved in 2016.
Source: website of the PMR President
