Moldovan ruling coalition leader, OSCE special representative discuss Transnistrian conflict settlement

Chisinau, 27 March /MOLDPRES/ - The leader of the ruling coalition, Vlad Plahotniuc, today discussed with  Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for Transnistrian Settlement Process on behalf of Italy Franco Frattini the settlement of the Transnistrian conflict and the way the Moldovan political leadership can support this process in continuation.

According to the Moldovan Democratic Party’s (PDM) press service, Vlad Plahotniuc said that the Transnistrian conflict settlement can be based only on the observance of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Moldova within its internationally recognized borders, just as it is provided for in OSCE’s Ministerial Declarations. At the same time, Plahotniuc stressed that “the present ruling coalition last autumn managed to sign a string of protocols with Tiraspol – documents which provided benefits to people from both banks of Dniester and started an important process of edifying trust.”   

“The ruling coalition commits to fulfill all political commitments taken by the sides in the Vienna five-plus-two Protocol, in order to ensure the continuation of progress in 2018. Also, a fundamental principle of the ruling coalition is to see the withdrawal of the foreign troops from Moldova completed, according to the Declaration of the Istanbul OSCE Summit,” Plahotniuc said.  

For his part, Franco Frattini said that Moldova enjoyed the support of the international community on the final stage of the settlement process.  

The official welcomed the initiative proved by Chisinau last year, which led to the signing of four extremely important agreements in November 2017, under implementation now. Franco Frattini said that, from his viewpoint, his task in 2018 is that, along with the OSCE Mission in Moldova and the international partners in the five-plus-two process, to help the sides reach agreements on the three debt subjects from the “packet of eight,” according to the Vienna five-plus-two protocol. Frattini specified that “OSCE is in continuation prepared to play a role of mediation in the process of withdrawal and destruction of the Russian ammunitions and weapons, in line with the mandate of the OSCE Mission, extended in 1999 as a result of the Istanbul OSCE Summit and annually backed by all 57 OSCE member states.”  

Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for Transnistrian Settlement Process on behalf of Italy Franco Frattini is on an official visit to Chisinau and Tiraspol on 26-28 March. In the Moldovan capital, the special representative had meetings with President Igor Dodon, Prime Minister Pavel Filip, as well as Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration Cristina Lesnic.    

In Tiraspol, the official will meet the so-called leader from the left bank of Dniester, Vadim Krasnoselsky, and the political representative on behalf of the Transnistrian region, Vitaly Ignatyev.

(Reporter A. Ciobanu, editor M. Jantovan)