Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of the PMR Vitaly Ignatiev met with the OSCE delegation headed by Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Cord Hinrich Meier-Klodt at the PMR's MFA. Taking part in the meeting was Head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova Michael Scanlan.
Welcoming the guests, Vitaly Ignatiev highly appreciated the dynamics of contacts with the current OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and noted that the Pridnestrovian side expects the conversion of this work into concrete results that would help to improve the negotiation process between Pridnestrovie and Moldova.
“We hope that together we will be able move away from the conflict paradigm, confrontation, and unilateral restrictive actions. We expect that with the support of the international mediators and the current OSCE Chairperson-in-Office by working together we will be able to move forward within the entire spectrum of problematic issues in the relations with our Moldovan partners, we will return to a constructive, mutually respectful dialogue aimed at finding solutions that will improve the lives of people in Pridnestrovie and Moldova,” stressed the head of the PMR Foreign Ministry.
According to the diplomat, the current state of Pridnestrovie - Moldova’s dialogue does not allow to look ahead with high optimism, because concrete actions on the part of Kishinev aimed at resolving the conflict are not observed against the background of the Moldovan side’s positive rhetoric. “Moldovan partners substitute the positive initiatives and proposals of the Pridnestrovian side on the most acute, sensitive issues for the citizens of Pridnestrovie for the attempts to shift the focus and to distract the dialogue from the current problems,” emphasized Vitaly Ignatiev.
In this context, the head of the Foreign Ministry of Pridnestrovie reminded that on the negotiation table there is an adequate range of initiatives and proposals not only of the Pridnestrovian side, but also of international mediators. The diplomat expressed hope that the systematic efforts by the current Chairperson-in-Office can give impetus to the dialogue when “it is necessary step-by-step to remove the tension and negate the negative effects that impede the normal communication of the parties”.
During the meeting, Vitaly Ignatiev provided the latest information regarding the dynamics of meetings of the expert (working) groups of the parties, as well as representatives on political issues from Pridnestrovie and Moldova. In particular, the minister drew the OSCE representatives’ attention to the fact that the discussion of draft documents prepared by Pridnestrovie on the resolution of a number of sensitive issues, including in the field of road and rail transport, still shows poor performance to this day due to Moldovan representatives’ unwillingness for a substantive dialogue. In this regard, according to the diplomat, the Pridnestrovian side has put forward the initiative of holding a series of expert (working) groups with the participation of representatives on political issues to give additional political impetus to the work at the level of subject matter experts. “Each specific meeting of the expert (working) groups is an important element of communication, because it allows to give a substantive nature to the work at the negotiation table. The prospects for a possible meeting in the 5+2 format will depend on it, above all,” stated Vitaly Ignatiev speaking to journalists after the meeting.
Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Cord Hinrich Meier-Klodt, in his turn, agreed with the need to come up with viable solutions to existing problems, noting that the OSCE expressed its position before on the inadmissibility of holding “meetings for meetings” and on the importance of “concrete steps for the benefit of the population”. In this context, the German diplomat said that today the work has been under way on filling the agenda of a possible 5+2 meeting, “international partners, in particular the Russian Federation, have already made specific constructive proposals”. This initiative of mediators from the Russian Federation was discussed in detail at the meeting. Vitaly Ignatiev has expressed a clear view that the Russian proposals should become a fundamental aspect to be discussed during the next meeting.
Vitaly Ignatiev said that the mentioned proposal of the Russian side in the form of “non paper” contains three sets of issues which are important for the dialogue between the parties at the political level. “They concern the guarantees of the agreements that are reached by the parties in the negotiation process and that should be executed. As we know, there is a wide array of documents signed, but they are not fulfilled by our Moldovan partners for the well-known reasons. The initiative also addresses the problem of criminal cases, which are opened for political reasons - it is necessary to start resolving this question, it also concerns the aspects of freedom of movement,” said the minister.
The sides shared the view on the need to intensify the dialogue at the level of representatives on political issues. In this context, Vitaly Ignatiev pointed out that the last 1+1 meeting was held after more than one and a half month break, which, according to the Pridnestrovian side, does not indicate the readiness of RM’s representatives for the active cooperation with Pridnestrovie.
