Tiraspol, December 13. / Novosti Pridnestrovya/. The President of the PMR Vadim Krasnoselsky held a working meeting with the Foreign Minister Vitaly Ignatiev. The various aspects of the activities of the foreign policy department were discussed. Special attention was paid to the current state of affairs in the negotiation process, the press service of the head of state reports.
The minister noted the lack of progress and characterized the Moldovan-Pridnestrovian dialogue as simmering. According to him, this year there were only two meetings of political representatives and eight meetings of expert (working) groups (for comparison: in 2022, nine meetings of political representatives of the parties to the conflict were held and 17 meetings of expert groups). On December 4, motor transport issues were discussed.
A meeting of the expert group on economics and related aspects of the environmental sector is planned before the end of December. The meeting was repeatedly postponed at the initiative of the Moldovan side. Such destructive practice has become commonplace, Vitaly Ignatiev noted.
The minister also emphasized the low effectiveness of the negotiations, noting that most issues, even after discussion, remain open. The head of the foreign policy department focused on the fact that the pressure exerted by Moldova on the economic agents of Pridnestrovie and the far-fetched grounds for obstructing their activities lead to downtime of enterprises and the risk of loss of workforce.
Speaking about the banking blockade and negative trends in the customs sector, Vitaly Ignatiev mentioned the updated work program of the Moldovan government.
“There are alarming signals there, one of which suggests that Chisinau may try to destroy the mechanism of foreign economic activity of Pridnestrovie. In addition, the decree of the Moldovan government states that Moldova will try to limit the movement of vehicles with Pridnestrovian license plates,” he said.
According to the minister, at a meeting of the expert (working) group, the Pridnestrovian side once again confirmed the readiness of the PMR for the full operation of the VRP (Vehicle Registration Points) mechanism.
“We do not see any obstacles to this at the moment, except for those that were created by the Moldovan side within the framework of their legislation. Today the law of the Republic of Moldova is in force in this area, which is not implemented by the Moldovan side itself. No decisions have been made by the Moldovan customs service that would make it possible to simply submit an application for vehicle registration. The Moldovan side stated that it would study this issue, but, unfortunately, it remains open,” Vitaly Ignatiev informed the President.
As an example of the problems artificially created by the Moldovan side in the humanitarian sphere, the minister recalled the situation with the obstruction of the supply of a new Italian-made X-ray machine for the Pridnestrovian tuberculosis dispensary.
The Moldovan “law on separatism”, which retains legal force, was not ignored. Moldova ignores the position of Pridnestrovie and remains deaf to the opinion of the international community. An independent international examination has been prepared, which convincingly substantiates the conclusion that these regulations create room for abuse and negatively affect the dialogue with Pridnestrovie.
The interlocutors also spoke about the passivity of the majority of mediators in the negotiation process. It was noted that interaction with participants in the “Permanent Meeting...” format is maintained. OSCE representatives are more active than others in building up the dialog.
The prospects for next year were also discussed at the meeting. Malta will chair the OSCE. The PMR Foreign Ministry is already working to establish dialogue.
They also talked about an international meeting of experts on the issues of the Moldovan-Pridnestrovian settlement planned for mid-December in Istanbul. According to Vitaly Ignatiev, official representatives of various states have been invited to it, including those who are participants in the “Permanent Conference...” This example confirms the inconsistency of the arguments cited for postponing negotiations in the “5+2” format.
The President stressed that continuation of the negotiation process is a priority. The fundamental goal is to preserve peace. The head of state outlined guidelines and objectives, gave a number of recommendations and current instructions.
“Without a negotiation process it is impossible to maintain peace, and we are committed to peace. I hope all the participants in the format understand this, understand the inadmissibility of escalating tensions in Pridnestrovie and the region. I hope that the 2024 OSCE Chairman-in-Office will visit Pridnestrovie. We need to do preparatory work. The entire agenda that you outlined will be the subject of a detailed conversation,” Vadim Krasnoselsky noted.
