Today, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PMR hosted the meeting of Deputy Chairperson of the Government of the PMR for International Cooperation, Minister of Foreign Affairs Nina Shtanski with Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrey Deshytsa, Ambassador-at-Large of the Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation Sergey Gubarev and Ukrainian Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova Sergey Pirozhkov. Participating in the meeting were also Deputy Director of the Second Department for CIS countries of Russian Foreign Ministry Vitaly Tryapitsyn, Head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova Jennifer Brush, as well as representatives of the OSCE and managerial staff of the PMR's Foreign Ministry.
Discussions were focused on the preparation to the forthcoming meeting of the Permanent Conference in the 5+2 format to take place in Vienna on July 16-17, 2013. During the meeting, Nina Shtanski marked that in the circumstances when refusal of the Moldovan side from bilateral contacts is evident; this meeting is an important contribution to the preservation of the negotiation construction, as well as consideration of most important socio-economic and humanitarian-legal issues”. “We have a number of specific proposals how to solve socio-economic issues and optimize work of expert groups,” the diplomat told. “People in both Pridnestrovie and Moldova are waiting for the results of our work,” the Minister underlined.
Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrey Deshitsa expressed confidence that the meeting in such a composition would help exchange opinions in order to ensure not only discussion of problems but “achievement of specific results” as well. “We need to make small steps to reach big perspective,” he stressed. Ambassador-at-Large of the Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation Sergey Gubarev also expressed consent with the assessment of the significance of this meeting, noting that “it is a very useful format of the situation analysis in the negotiation process. I am sure, as a result of a thorough and in-depth analysis we will be able to find right ways of development of further negotiation process”.
After the meeting, Nina Shtanski and Andrey Deshitsa took questions from journalists. Commenting results of today's event, Nina Shtanski stressed, “We were not considering who is guilty but rather were discussing what to do”. “We have matters that we would like to be not only discussed but solve at the forthcoming negotiations in Vienna. These are issues of socio-economic character, including dismantling of the emergency cableway over the Dniester. Moreover, Pridnestrovie put forward initiative relating to ecology and condition of the Dniester, as well as flooding of villages in Pridnestrovie and Moldova as a result of siltation of the river.” As head of the Pridnestrovian Foreign Ministry told, the sides also discussed in general agenda of the 5+2 negotiations in Vienna. The diplomat expressed hope that the forthcoming meeting at the level of political representatives of Pridnestrovie and Moldova “will bring the sides closer to the document which will be on the table of negotiations in Vienna”. “We also discussed how can we intensify our meetings, step-up work of expert groups and finally turn freedom of movement, goods and services into the sphere of interaction where we would be able to speak about common success,” Nina Shtanski told.
High assessment of the results of the meeting was given by Andrey Deshitsa who pinpointed that the sides today had had a constructive dialogue. At the same time he expressed regret about absence of meetings of political representatives between rounds. “Plans and decisions which we take during 5+2 meetings and which are elaborated at the level of working groups, won't be implemented without such meetings,” the diplomat stressed. Andrey Deshitsa also marked negative character of unilateral actions in relation to freedom of movement of citizens on both banks of the Dniester. According to him, new migration rules which are going to be introduced by the Republic of Moldova, “is a good cause for meetings of political representatives and mediators, as well as for their consideration within 5+2.” “It is important that these measures should be taken only after their appropriate consideration and not appear a “surprise” for the people whose rights are affected,” Andrey Deshitsa told.
Program of today's visit of delegations of current OSCE Chairmanship and co-mediators to Pridnestrovie also includes meeting with President of the PMR Yevgeny Shevchuk.
