​MOLDOVAN FOREIGN MINISTER ADDRESSES OSCE FORUM IN GERMANY

Moldova's Deputy Premier, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Andrei Galbur today took floor at the 23rd Conference of the OSCE Council of Ministers continuing in Hamburg, and spoke out for discussing a legal status for Moldova’s Transnistrian region and other political issues included into the so-called “third basket”.

He stressed the importance of resumption of the 5+2 format negotiation process, which was done in Berlin last June 2-3, and thanked the German OSCE presidency for its valuable contribution to the conflict settlement process.

“In 2017 we will focus on drafting a conceptual document on Transnistrian conflict settlement. I believe it is in our common interests to put an end to the current status-quo and to start moving to a political settlement gradually. Our approach here is clear”, said Andrei Galbur.

He emphasized the importance to begin discussing in earnest the political issues related to working out a special legal status for Transnistria. As was already reported by Infotag, Transnistria and Russia stand categorically against discussing the “third basket”, which includes political and security questions.

“We must at last start negotiating these problems, and an approach to them must be based on the principles of Moldova’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within the internationally recognized borders and with recognition of a special legal status for Transnistria within an integral Republic of Moldova. That’s only how we can achieve results in our quest for a comprehensive and lasting settlement of the Transnistrian problem”, stated the Moldovan foreign minister.

Andrei Galbur voiced concern about situation with regional security and stressed the need for strengthening the OSCE potential and efforts to prevent and settle crises in the region, and of the risk of protracted combat actions in eastern Ukraine for regional security.

“We all need to monitor the situation in this sphere. Chisinau is concerned about the lack of progress in the question of withdrawal of Russian troops and ammunition from Transnistria, where we can lately see more and more military activities and various violations by the Transnistrian side”, said the Moldovan foreign minister.

Andrei Galbur again spoke out for converting the current peacekeeper operation in Transnistria into a multinational mission of civilian observers under an international mandate of the OSCE or the United Nations.

In his address to the Hamburg forum, the Moldovan foreign minister touched on topical questions of the OSCE agenda, in particular on adapting the Organization to current new conditions and new reality.

Russian Federation’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov said at the Hamburg conference that Moscow stands up for resuming the 5+2 format talks on Transnistrian conflict settlement.

Infotag’s dossier: In May 2016, the seven stakeholders concerned [Moldova and Transnistria as the conflicting sides, Russia, Ukraine and the OSCE as international mediators and guarantors (5); and the European Union and the United States as observers (2)] reached an accord on holding first round of 5+2 format negotiations in last two years. However, they managed to organize only a consultative meeting in Berlin on June 2-3, at which they signed a Protocol, whose fulfillment was a pre-condition for resuming full-fledged negotiations. Out of the 7 items in the Berlin Protocol, Chisinau and Tiraspol fulfilled only one. At a traditional informal conference in Bavaria held in mid-July, the stakeholders also failed to achieve progress in Berlin Protocol fulfillment. Accordingly, they could not agree on restarting the 5+2 format talks.