The Foreign Ministry hosted a meeting between Vitaly Ignatiev and delegations of the Russian Foreign Ministry headed by Alexander Lukashevich, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the OSCE, and Vitaly Triapitsyn, Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry. The meeting was also attended by Alexander Andreev, JCC Co-Chairman from the Russian Federation.
In a follow-up to the meeting with the PMR President, the diplomats discussed in detail the current state of affairs in the Moldova-Pridnestrovie settlement, with a focus on the OSCE’s role in facilitating the dialogue between the parties.
The situation in the negotiation process is “far from being stable”, the Minister stressed. “We see degradation in many areas. Interaction with Moldova is more of a formal nature, and despite the meetings of expert groups and political representatives many problems are not resolved. In addition, new unexpected challenges and potential threats emerge,” the diplomat said pointing to the articles on “separatism” added to the Moldovan Criminal Code, which are an element of political pressure on Pridnestrovie.
Vitaly Ignatiev said that the negotiation process is in fact at a deadlock, since Chisinau, on the one hand, sabotages activities to resolve a range of sectoral problems and only imitates the dialogue within the meetings of expert (working) groups and the 1+1 format, and on the other hand, refuses in principle to hold top-level meetings between the sides.
Of particular concern, according to the PMR Foreign Minister, are the attempts to disrupt the Permanent Conference mechanism with the aim to deprive Pridnestrovie of access to a platform for equitable dialogue and to exclude the Russian Federation from the Moldova-Pridnestrovie settlement process.
Vitaly Ignatiev reiterated that the Pridnestrovian side is open to contacts with the Republic of Moldova at all levels and encouraged an early resumption of the 5+2 work, including in the format of informal consultations. At the same time, he noted that the Moldovan side is not ready to make steps forward, while taking advantage of the passive observer stance of some participants in the negotiation process. In this context, he expressed Pridnestrovie’s interest in the most objective and equidistant international mediation capable of bringing added value.
The interlocutors agreed on the need to reanimate the negotiation process and intensify discussions on the Moldova-Pridnestrovie settlement at various platforms, including the OSCE Permanent Council, with the participation of representatives from Moldova and Pridnestrovie in order to draw maximum international and media attention. In this regard, Vitaly Ignatiev highlighted the importance to focus on human rights in Pridnestrovie massively violated by the Moldovan authorities.
The meeting also addressed certain aspects of the functioning of the Russian Embassy’s on-site consular service in Tiraspol.
Concluding the meeting, the diplomats agreed to continue working communication on the whole range of relevant areas of cooperation between Russia and Pridnestrovie.
