Today Tiraspol hosted the meeting between the PMR's MFA's leadership and Swedish diplomats. The meeting was attended by Foreign Minister Vladimir Yastrebchak and Deputy Minister Sergey Simonenko. The foreign delegation was represented by Minister Counsellor Julius Liljestrom, Head of Eastern Europe Division of the Swedish MFA Johan Frisell, and Swedish MFA's responsible employee for Moldova Anna Lyberg.
The diplomats considered a wide range of matters. In particular, the views were exchanged as to the current situation in Moldova-Transdniestria settlement process. The interlocutors positively assessed the resumption of the work of expert and working groups whose aim is to settle down social and economic problems of Moldova and Transdniestria.
During the course of the meeting, the head of the PMR's MFA briefed the Swedish diplomats about a number of meetings between political representatives of the sides scheduled for the year 2010, the first of them is to be held in May in Astana.
In response to the question of the Swedish diplomats as to the possibility to change the current format of the peacekeeping mission and to transform it into the mission of international civil observers, Vladimir Yastrebchak pointed out that the existing mechanism can be replaced only after the final settlement of the conflict. This provision was confirmed in the Joint Statement of the Presidents of Russia, Moldova and Pridnestrovie, signed in Moscow on March 18, 2009.
During their visit, the Swedish diplomats visited also the Memorial complex in Bender and the Fortress of Bender.
