OSCE COUNTRIES NOT LOSING HOPE TO RESOLVE THE TRANSNISTRIAN PROBLEM

OSCE Member Countries are intending to achieve a comprehensive, peaceful and lasting solution to the Transnistrian conflict with the observance of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova within its internationally recognized borders and with provision of a special legal status for the Transnistrian region that would guarantee inalienable political, economic and social rights to the population.

That was said in the Declaration on the Transnistrian conflict settlement process in the 5+2 negotiating format, which was adopted at the 25th Meeting of the OSCE Council of Foreign Ministers held in Milan (Italy) last week.

The Council highly appreciated the accords reached on Berlin+ Package issues (recognition of Transnistrian education diplomas, access to Latin-script Moldova-administered schools in Transnistria, access to Moldovan farmers' private lands in the Dubasari Raion, access to the Gura Bicului/Bicioc Bridge, neutral-design license plates for Transnistrian non-commercial private motor vehicles), and a considerable progress in resolving the telecommunications problem.

The Declaration contains a call to fully observe all of the accords reached and thus to promote the conflict settlement process and to facilitate at all levels the achievement of a tangible progress on negotiation agenda issues.

The Declaration emphasized the important role played by the "Permanent Conference for Political Questions in the Framework of the Negotiating Process on the Transnistrian Settlement (5+2 negotiating format)" in achieving a viable and sustainable conflict solution, with confirmation of the need for the Sides to orient to concrete results by collaborating at all existing platforms over the entire Slovakian OSCE Presidency period in 2019.

Besides this, the document underlined the Sides' readiness to solve long-standing problems, and the international Mediators and Observers were proposed to continue the coordination of efforts with the using of all available instruments for promoting the conflict settlement process.