Today, Foreign Minister Vitaly Ignatiev met with Charge d’Affaires of the United States in Moldova Laura Hruby via video link.
The diplomats discussed possible contacts at the level of the new U.S. Ambassador, as well as the results of the visit to Pridnestrovie by the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office’s Special Representative Thomas Mayr-Harting.
With regard to the prospects of the negotiation process, the Minister stressed that the key point will be the mandate and powers of Moldova’s new representative on political issues, which is a prerequisite for a productive dialogue, including at the level of expert (working) groups.
Vitaly Ignatiev also pointed out that it is necessary to return the unreasonably detained Pridnestrovian cargo in order to relieve tension in the dialogue between the parties. He stated that any forms of pressure on Pridnestrovie have been proven senseless over the past 30 years.
In terms of a possible 5+2 meeting, Mr. Ignatiev outlined the Pridnestrovian side’s focus on solving specific problems for the benefit of people and, above all, the implementation of agreements within the Berlin Plus package.
Commenting on the issues of the region-wide security situation, Vitaly Ignatiev expressed Pridnestrovie’s concern about the supply of American weapons to the Republic of Moldova in the context of the unresolved Moldovan-Pridnestrovian conflict. According to the PMR’s Foreign Minister, this contradicts the neighboring state’s declared neutral status and provokes tension. At the same time, he confirmed the immutable importance and effectiveness of the peacekeeping operation on the Dniester and reaffirmed that Pridnestrovie stands exclusively for peace, transparency and security and is ready for dialogue at all levels. “In this regard, as with focusing the dialogue on practical solutions, the approaches of the Pridnestrovian side remain unchanged,” the Minister concluded.
