A round table was held in Moscow to mark the Official Representative Office of Pridnestrovie in the Russian Federation opening anniversary. The event was attended by the PMR’s President and his wife, the head of the Pridnestrovian Foreign Ministry, the speaker of the Pridnestrovian parliament, politicians, parliamentarians and public figures of the Russian Federation, representatives of the Abkhazian Embassy and Pridnestrovians living in Russia.
The Pridnestrovian delegation led by the PMR President Vadim Krasnoselsky arrived to the Russian capital. The first meeting as part of a working visit was held at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Reception House. Vadim Krasnoselsky discussed issues relevant to Pridnestrovie with Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko.
The Pridnestrovian President Vadim Krasnoselsky held a three-hours meeting in Bendery with the OSCE European delegation headed by Thomas Mayr-Harting the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office.
“This meeting was necessary. We stated our position, proves and arguments, but also heard the OSCE representative’s opinion about the settlement issues agenda.
This year, the OSCE is chaired by Albania, led by its Prime Minister Edi Rama. The Austrian diplomat Thomas Mayr-Harting has been appointed Special Representative for the Moldova-Pridnestrovie settlement. Today he is visiting Pridnestrovie for the first time, in his current position. The foreign diplomat visited the republic: in 2017, as a representative of the European Union in the “5 + 2” format, he met with the President and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the PMR.
Vadim Krasnoselsky and Vitaly Ignatiev discussed the situation in the negotiation process. The main issue of the working meeting was the situation within restrictive measures initiated by Moldova towards Pridnestrovian vehicles. The Head of the Pridnestrovian Foreign Ministry confirmed the fulfillment of the President’s order to inform through diplomatic channels all the 5 + 2 format participants about mirror measures with specified dates that Pridnestrovie is to take if necessary.
President of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic Vadim Krasnoselsky and the Head of Moldovan State Igor Dodon held a telephone conversation. It was about the transport situation occurred after the Moldovan side initiated restrictions on crossing the Moldovan-Ukrainian border for the vehicles with pridnestrovian or neutral plates and for drivers possessing driver’s licenses issued from Pridnestrovie. Within the working discussion with the Moldovan colleague Vadim Krasnoselsky emphasized that the steps undertaken by Moldova violate the Pridnestrovians’ rights.
No movement within the negotiation process was recorded since the last visit of the US Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Moldova. But, it does not belong to the political situation in Moldova, where the government has recently changed again, stated Vadim Krasnoselsky and Derek Hogan during their working dialogue today.
The visit of the Russian military senior officials to the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic started with attending the peacekeeping checkpoint. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu checked the line of duty performed by Russian peacekeepers and debriefed the Russian Senior Military Chief of the Joint Peacekeeping Forces Oleg Leukhin and the Head of the Russian Army Task Force in Pridnestrovie Dmitry Zelenkov.
Russian delegation headed by Deputy Chairman of the Government of the RF, Special Representative of the President of Russia on development of trade and economic relations with Moldova Dmitry Kozak again visited Pridnestrovie. He was accompanied by Minister of Agriculture of the RF Dmitry Patrushev, State Secretary, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the RF Grigory Karasin and other officials – representatives of Russian Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Finance.
The Pridnestrovian Representation first appeared in Moscow in 2005. Its functions were then assigned to the Cooperation Center “Pridnestrovie” – a public organization officially registered in the Russian Federation. From the beginning of 2012, the activity of this structure was discontinued, however, there is still need for Republic’s representation. This is confirmed by the numerous appeals of Pridnestrovian citizens residing in Russia.
Addressing journalists, OSCE Chairman-in-Office Miroslav Lajcak recalled that Slovakia has been chairing the OSCE since January 1. “Last week I presented our priorities in Vienna, and today I am here. This is a sign of how seriously we take our role”, the diplomat said. According to him, Slovakia is counting on an effective chairmanship.
The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Slovak diplomat Miroslav Lajcak is in Tiraspol. This visit is the first in his new capacity (Slovakia has been chairing the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe since January 1 this year). Earlier, Miroslav Lajcak represented the European Union in the format of the “Permanent Conference...”.
At a meeting in the President’s office, Vitaly Ignatiev told Vadim Krasnoselsky that the PMR Foreign Ministry received an official notification of the planned visit to Pridnestrovie of the Slovak Foreign Minister, OSCE CiO Miroslav Lajcak. The Head of the PMR Foreign Ministry called the upcoming meeting “a good opportunity to synchronize watches, determine plans for the coming year,” and the Permanent Conference – a working advisory platform with international participation.
The interlocutors exchanged views on the current situation in the negotiation process between Pridnestrovie and the Republic of Moldova. They expressed a unified position on the need for systematic and rhythmic work in all the negotiation areas. They talked about the expediency of holding the next meeting in the 5+2 format without preliminary conditions. It was stressed that today, in fact, it is about resuscitating the dialogue in the “Permanent Conference...” format, since from June 2016 its participants have never gathered at the negotiating table.
As part of the visit of the Pridnestrovian delegation headed by the President Vadim Krasnoselsky to the United Kingdom, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office hosted a working meeting with Nicola Pollitt, Director of the Eastern Europe and Central Asia Directorate.
The meeting was attended by Chairman of the PMR’s Government Alexander Martynov and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the PMR Vitaly Ignatiev.
During his visit to the United Kingdom, PMR President Vadim Krasnoselsky met with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to Great Britain Alexander Yakovenko. The meeting was attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the PMR Vitaly Ignatiev.
The President of the PMR Vadim Krasnoselsky met with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Czech Republic to the Republic of Moldova Zdenek Krejci. The Czech diplomat visited Pridnestrovie before, but met with the new President of the Republic Vadim Krasnoselsky for the first time. Welcoming the guest, the President noted that “it is the honour to welcome the Ambassador on the Pridnestrovian land”.
President Yevgeny Shevchuk received Minister of Foreign Affairs Vitaly Ignatiev. The Foreign Minister reported on the new unilateral actions by the Republic of Moldova aimed at creating additional difficulties for the Pridnestrovian economic agents.
Moscow hosted a meeting between PMR’s President Yevgeny Shevchuk and the Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Special Representative of the Russian Federation in the 5+2 format Sergey Gubarev.
Let us recall, the Head of State is on a working visit to the capital of the Russian Federation.
The Head of State Yevgeny Shevchuk has appointed Vitaly Ignatiev to the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs of the PMR.
“I hope that you will continue all the good that has been done as a lot has been done and will bring something new. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be even more powerful agency in terms of the implementation of the foreign policy of Pridnestrovie” – said the President.
