TIRASPOL STANDS UP FOR A NEW 5+2 FORMAT MEETING TO TAKE STOCK OF IMPLEMENTED DECISIONS

Transnistrian side believes it is extremely necessary to organize a new meeting in the 5+2 negotiating format to take stock and analyze the decisions already realized, to consider the current situation and to determine questions for a perspective, Transnistria's chief negotiator and its minister of foreign affairs Vitaly Ignatiev stated on Tuesday during his meeting in Tiraspol with President Putin's Special Envoy at the Transnistria negotiations, Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador-at-Large Sergey Gubarev.

Ignatiev substantiated his stance by saying that Chisinau is coming across difficulties at implementing certain commitments, and this means that an international support is needed.

"For instance, the Moldovan side is not ready yet to yield to a compromise on the problem of criminal litigations [started against Transnistrian officials]; we have been in a knotty dialog on the problem of telecommunications; the question of the functioning of the expert group on inter-bank collaboration is remaining pending. There still exists the long known problem with the importation of fuel into Transnistria by using the northern Moldovan railroad branch", Ignatiev said, and fingered at possible restrictions related to the realization of the joint Moldo-Ukrainian customs-border control at the Cuciurgan border-crossing station. In his words, some of the reached accords have already received positive solutions. Some other ones are on the stage of settlement, "but on certain negotiation tracks, there are serious long pauses, and this is causing the Transnistrian side's concern".

Sergey Gubarev also believes that it is necessary to work jointly to ensure that the signed agreements are realized without failures to thus prevent extra problems that could only complicate the population's lives.

Commenting on Moldova's repeated call, heard from the tribune of the 73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly, to withdraw Russian troops from Transnistria, Sergey Gubarev said that this is "a blow on the entire positive capital accumulated in the course of the negotiation process".

"This is not only my opinion - this is the opinion of the Russian Federation. Continuation of the rhetoric in this direction will be only aggravating the situation", said the Russian diplomat.