Vitaly Ignatiev and Oleg Serebrian met at the OSCE Mission’s office in Bendery in the presence of mediators and observers.
The interlocutors discussed a number of topical issues on the agenda of the negotiation process between Pridnestrovie and the Republic of Moldova. The Pridnestrovian side put a special emphasis on the situation of blocking the import of a CT scanner tube to the Republican Hospital for Invalids of the Great Patriotic War. Pridnestrovian representative stressed that there were no objective reasons for such restrictive measures, as this equipment, which has all the necessary certificates from the producer in the EU, had never been blocked before. Vitaly Ignatiev said that the demands of the Moldovan authorities towards the Pridnestrovian medical institution are of a purely political nature and are connected with “the attempts of the Moldovan side to expansively impose its legislation outside the framework of the negotiation process agreements”.
The minister described as unacceptable the delay in solving this problem, when the people’s health and the access to the medical services are held hostage by politicized approaches. He added that over 300 people from privileged categories cannot benefit from CT scan services because of Moldova’s actions. In this context, the Pridnestrovian side made a concrete proposal to settle this acute humanitarian issue as soon as possible, as well as to intensify the work within the profile expert (working) group to solve all the accumulated problems in the health sector, including the import of medicines.
The sides also discussed the freedom of movement, including in the context of the amendments to the Moldovan Criminal Code (the so-called “law on separatism”). The PMR Foreign Minister said that the Moldovan side has not yet provided guarantees to ensure the security of Pridnestrovian representatives on Moldovan territory. He proposed to return to the mechanism that functioned in the framework of the 2019 “gentlemen agreement” under the guarantees of the OSCE Mission.
The issue of Pridnestrovian vehicles’ participation in international road traffic was also discussed. The Pridnestrovian side appealed to the Republic of Moldova to confirm the obligations under the Protocol Decision of 24 April 2018 and to lift restrictions on the registration of vehicles imported before September 2018 in order to restore the full functionality of the Vehicle Registration Offices in Tiraspol and Rybnita.
Interlocutors exchanged views on the prospects for further work in the negotiation process. Vitaly Ignatiev expressed the Pridnestrovian side’s commitment to the dialogue, while underlining the importance of involving all mediators and observers in the 5+2 format and the indispensable focus on people’s needs. He also pointed to the need to look for opportunities to revitalize the work of the Permanent Conference.
At the end of the meeting, the sides tentatively agreed to hold the next meeting of political representatives in Tiraspol.
