​PAVEL FILIP MEETS SEBASTIAN KURZ, SPEAKS IN FAVOR OF STATUS FOR TRANSNISTRIA AND AGAINST FEDERALIZATION

Moldovan Prime Minister Pavel Filip is convinced that it is necessary to start negotiating a political status for Transnistria – by excluding point blank whatever possibility of settling the Transnistrian conflict through federalization of the country, Filip stated in his meeting with the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Austrian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Integration Sebastian Kurz held in Chisinau last Saturday.

“Time has come to discuss a special legal status for the Transnistrian region that would be viable and would not influence negatively on the functionality of the State. We regard federalization to be an inappropriate decision and that’s why this year we want to discuss – within the Chisinau-Tiraspol negotiating process – the working out of a special legal status for the Transnistrian region”, said Pavel Filip.

The Premier spoke out for starting discussing of questions from the so-called “third basket” that include questions of security and a status for Transnistria.

“The ultimate goal of the negotiations is settlement of the Transnistrian problem and reunification of the two parts of the country”, stressed the Moldovan Prime Minister.

In his words, the Moldovan Government’s chief objectives are remaining as before – the problems faced by citizens namely the ensuring of the children’s right to study in the language they want to, recognition of education diplomas issued in Transnistria, solution of the problem of motor vehicles with Transnistrian license plates, restoration of telephone communication between the river sides, ensuring of access for Dubasari Raion farmers to their own farm lands, the problem of citizens’ free movement, etc.

“We are also concerned about the military activities of the Operative Group of Russian Troops (OGRV) deployed in the Transnistrian region illegally, and we hope the OSCE Mission to Moldova will assume a corresponding position on this question”, said Pavel Filip.

OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Sebastian Kurz said that he will be further promoting an access aimed at achieving a positive result in the Transnistrian conflict settlement process.

Sebastian Kurz stated this position is based on the decision taken by 57 member countries of the OSCE at their recent conference of the Organization’s Council of Foreign Ministers held in Hamburg, who spoke out for settling the Transnistrian conflict on the basis of observing Moldova’s territorial integrity and sovereignty and solving the problems of the residents of both Dniester River banks.