On March 31 and April 1, 2011, international conference “Participation and Intercultural Aspects of the Management on the Local Level on Balkans – Challenges and European Perspectives” took place in Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina).
10 years ago, on April 9, 2001, Presidents of Moldova and Pridnestrovie, Vladimir Voronin and Igor Smirnov, signed Joint Statement which contained a whole number of fundamentally important provisions as regards the Moldova-Pridnestrovie relations normalization, and which among other issues stated the equality of the sides in the negotiation process, intention of the sides to consider issue of joining the Union of Belarus and Russia, as well as granting Russian official-language status and stepping-up interdepartmental work.
On April 5, 2011, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine in the Republic of Moldova Sergey Pirozhkov gave lecture in T.G. Shevchenko Pridnestrovien State University devoted to modern tendencies of Ukraine’s foreign policy development.
Today, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the PMR Vladimir Yastrebchak received OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Knut Vollebaek. Participating in the meeting held in the foreign policy department of Pridnestrovie were also the Head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova, Philip Remler, and other OSCE staff.
On April 4-5, in Vienna, in accordance with earlier reached agreements, a regular round of informal consultations of the participants of the Permanent Consultations on Political Issues in the Framework of the Pridnestrovien Settlement Negotiation Process, which includes the Republic of Moldova and the Pridnestrovien Moldavian Republic (the sides), the Russian Federation and Ukraine (guarantors and mediators), the OSCE (mediator), and also the USA and European Union (observers), took place. The Pridnestrovien delegation was represented by Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Yastrebchak and Co-Chairperson of the Joint Control Commission from Pridnestrovie Oleg Belyakov.
On April 1, 2011, in the PMR’s MFA a meeting took place between Foreign Minister Vladimir Yastrebchak with Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden in the Republic of Moldova Ingrid Tersman.
In Pridnestrovie attention was drawn to an increasing number of statements on issue of the Moldova-Pridnestrovie settlement made by representatives of different states and international structures, and this concern about the future of the people residing in this region of Europe is appreciated.
On March 25, 2011, a meeting took place in the PMR’s MFA between leadership of the foreign policy department of the PMR with Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia of the UK FCO, Laurie Bristow, and Ambassador of UK to Moldova, Keith Shannon.
In Pridnestrovie attention was drawn to some statements as regards the Moldova-Pridnestrovie settlement made by Vice-President of the USA Joseph Biden during his short-term working visit in Chisinau on March 11, 2010.
The beginning of the year has become rather fruitful for the Pridnestrovien diplomacy and was marked by intensification of bilateral contacts with the foreign partners of the Republic.
On December 12, 2010, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the PMR, Vladimir Yastrebchak, met with deputy of the Russia’s State Duma, Deputy Chairman of the Duma Committee for Public Associations and Religious Organizations, Sergey Markov.
On December 7, Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation/ State Secretary Grigory Karasin received the Political Representative in the Moldova-Pridnestrovie settlement process, the Foreign Minister of Pridnestrovie, Vladimir Yastrebchak, the Information and Press Department of the Russian MFA has said.
In Pridnestrovie attention was drawn to mass media reports regarding the speech of Mr. Osipov at the Summit of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe held on December, 1 and 2, 2010, in Astana.
On December 1, 2010, meetings were held between PMR’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vladimir Yastrebchak, and representatives of a number of the European Union structures.
On November 30, 2010, Foreign Minister of the Pridnestrovien Moldavian Republic attended event in the European Parliament devoted to the preliminary results of the elections to the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova.
In the light of high importance for the Moldova-Pridnestrovie settlement of the Summit of the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe held on 1-2 December, in Astana, the refusal of Moldovan acting President Mihai Ghimpu from participating in the given international forum is indicative of Chisinau’s extremely irresponsible approach to the question of political normalization of relations.
