The Foreign Ministry hosted a meeting between Minister of Foreign Affairs of the PMR Vitaly Ignatiev and the OSCE delegation led by Adviser to the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Plenipotentiary Minister of the General Directorate for Policy and Security of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Alfredo Conte. The meeting was also attended by the Head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova Michael Scanlan.
During the conversation, they exchanged views on the current situation in the negotiation process between Pridnestrovie and the Republic of Moldova, with an emphasis on implementation of the agreements reached in the end of last year, as well as the prospects for progress in other issues, including those reflected in the Vienna Protocol.
Particular attention was paid to the current stage in developing a mechanism for participation of Pridnestrovian motor transport in the international road traffic. According to Vitaly Ignatiev, this is a longstanding problem, and negotiations on that issue have accumulated both a sufficient volume of technical international recommendations and some progress directly in the dialogue of the parties. As the Minister stressed, taking into account the deadline for resolving this sensitive social and humanitarian issue, outlined by the Vienna Protocol, the parties need to adhere to a compromise approach, demonstrating political will and sincere interest in the final settlement of the problem.
The Foreign Minister particularly stressed that now, while approaching practical agreement, it is dangerous to take steps backwards, which can significantly complicate further practical dialogue of the parties. In this context, the diplomat emphasized significance of involvement of all international participants in the negotiation process and, above all, the Italian OSCE Chairmanship, in activities on settlement of the road transport problem.
Alfredo Conte, in his turn, informed that his visit prepared the ground for the expected visit of the Special Representative of the OSCE CiO Franco Frattini, who plans to visit Moldova and Pridnestrovie next month. The Italian diplomat also positively assessed successes in the negotiating process in recent months, highlighting contribution of the Pridnestrovian side to making progress. “We are very pleased with the pace and results that have been demonstrated in the last few months. We see real improvements, real agreements, real results for the population. This is primarily due to the courage of the parties, and in this context I especially highlight contribution of the Pridnestrovian side, whose efforts objectively contributed to the achievement of many agreements,” Alfredo Conte stressed.
During the discussion, Vitaly Ignatiev, in his turn, noted Pridnestrovie’s readiness to maintain systemic communication with the Italian OSCE Chairmanship, expressing hope for its proactive involvement in the ongoing work in the negotiation process.
“We are in constant contact with all international participants in the negotiation process within the 5+2 advisory format. We look forward to Mr. Frattini’s visit in March, during which I believe it would be possible to discuss widely all issues and aspects that are of mutual interest and are relevant to the negotiations. I expect that through joint activities we will create conditions for the Italian Chairmanship to be effective and, primarily, for all people to get good results in the current negotiating year,” the diplomat stated.
