Mediators and Observers in the Negotiation Process Visited Pridnestrovie

06/04/21

The House of Official Receptions ended the meeting of the PMR’s President Vadim Krasnoselsky with the delegation of mediators and observers in the 5+2 format. Among republic’s guests were the OSCE CiO Thomas Mayr-Harting, Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry Vitaly Tryapitsyn, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Special Representative Viktor Kryzhanovsky, EU Representative Richard Tibbels, US Deputy Assistant of Secretary of State George Kent, the Head of the OSCE Mission to the Republic of Moldova Klaus Neukirch and Ambassador of the Republic of Sweden to the Republic of Moldova Anna Lyberg.

From the Pridnestrovian side, the discussion was attended by the chairman and vice speaker of the Supreme Council Alexander Korshunov and Galina Antyufeyeva, the Head of the Presidential Administration Sergey Belous, Minister of Foreign Affairs Vitaly Ignatiev and Deputy Head of the Department Alexander Stetsiuk, State Advisor to the President of the PMR Anna Volkova, representatives of public organizations - Vladimir Ladunkin, Yuri Cheban, Viorica Kokhtareva, Sergey Sandu and Petr Bogutsky.

Within the meeting’s framework, took place an utmost open and substantive dialogue regarding the current situation and prospects of the negotiation process. The Pridnestrovian President informed in detail and assessed a series of destructive steps by the Moldovan side against Pridnestrovie in the past two years and focused on blocking the supply of vital goods during the pandemic, threats to the freedom of movement of Pridnestrovians and pressure on officials at the Chisinau airport.  

The situation with Andrei Samoniy, who was illegally detained on the territory of the Republic of Moldova on a fabricated criminal case, was separately touched upon. “Knowingly innocent, not participating in any events, was convicted. That is, Moldova has shown its true face, has shown the way it will act in relation to Pridnestrovian officials,” the PMR’s President stressed.

In turn, in his speech Vitaly Ignatiev recalled that the Berlin Protocol, signed exactly five years ago, has not gone down in history and expressed the hope that mediators and observers will demand that the Republic of Moldova fulfill its obligations. At the same time, according to the Minister, Kishinev does not make the situation better, but quite the opposite introduces additional restrictions further more.

The current situation in the sphere of interbank cooperation was presented in detail by Yuri Cheban, who focused on the groundlessness and artificial nature of unilateral pressure measures of the Republic of Moldova which is being expressed in the ban on opening and servicing accounts of Pridnestrovian enterprises, as well as in refusing to convert the lei mass. The ONF’s co-chairman noted that these measures impede procuring raw materials and receiving payment for exported goods, and the problem requires an urgent solution, which is confirmed by the opinion of the PMR business community.

As a follow-up to the discussion, Vladimir Ladunkin informed the diplomats about the results of the recent meeting of the Public Chamber of the PMR, dedicated to possible restrictions on the freedom of movement for Pridnestrovians starting with September 1, and warned that the Pridnestrovian public representatives will react and protect the interests of citizens and the country.

State Adviser to the President of the PMR Anna Volkova recalled that the Pridnestrovian state creation took place in the most democratic way by means of a referendum and as a response to massive violations of human rights by Moldova; Anna Volkova further questioned Kishinev’s negotiability at the current stage. She drew attention to the need to develop a document on guarantees for the reached agreements to be implemented.

Taking into account the degrading situation in the Moldovan-Pridnestrovian dialogue, the Pridnestrovian side emphasized the importance of using the existing negotiating mechanisms, including the "Permanent Conference ...", and called for an early meeting in this format without preconditions. The inadmissibility of creating new problems in the current already difficult situation was also emphasized. The PMR’s President stated that “the people will assess the negotiation process,” and agreements’ implementation should become a norm that improves people’s living standards.

Photo: the PMR’s President website