The Foreign Ministry held a meeting between Minister of Foreign Affairs Vitaly Ignatiev and the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Thomas Lenk.
This marks the fourth visit of the German diplomat to Pridnestrovie. Vitaly Ignatiev noted the active engagement of the OSCE CiO Special Representative and expressed the hope that this activity would align with the overall dynamics of the Moldova-Pridnestrovie settlement process.
In this context, the PMR Foreign Minister stated that Chisinau continues to refuse constructive dialogue with Pridnestrovie, while international mediators are not insisting on the resumption of stable functioning of dialogue mechanisms in accordance with the Principles and Procedures of the negotiation process. He emphasized that a full-fledged dialogue is highly necessary and in demand in order to avoid negative scenarios and risks, as well as to address issues related to the protection of human rights, since the interests of people should always be prioritized.
The Minister criticized the Moldovan side for withdrawing from the gentlemen’s agreement on the freedom of movement for officials, for the adoption of the so-called “law on separatism”, and for a series of recent aggressive and provocative statements made by Moldovan officials against Pridnestrovie. According to him, dialogue should not be tied to the domestic electoral calendars of one side, and effective work of the expert (working) groups requires political will – otherwise, even the solutions developed at the technical level are not implemented.
At the conclusion of the discussion, Vitaly Ignatiev called on the OSCE to contribute to the revitalization of the negotiation process and to respond sensitively to the emergence of any developments that increase tensions in the relationship between Pridnestrovie and Moldova.
