CHISINAU AND TIRASPOL ARE DRIVING A TANDEM, THEREFORE MUST MOVE TO AVOID FALLING – OSCE MISSION HEAD

Ambassador Claus Neukirch, the Head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova, has compared the Transnistrian conflict settlement process with riding on a tandem, so Chisinau and Tiraspol must work the pedals together so as to avoid falling on the road.

On Friday, he said at the annual conference, held within the “Transnistrian Dialogs” Program, that so far, the official positions of Tiraspol and Chisinau are, unfortunately, extremely far from one another.

“But if to consider the conflict settlement process in the general context of the international situation, then we can say that the Sides and the rest participants have achieved outstanding results they can really be proud of”, said Claus Neukirch.

Among the “tangible results of the settlement process” he mentioned the re-opening of the Gura Bicului/Bicioc Bridge across the Dniester, which later on, upon an accord with the European Union, can be transformed into a new trans-European transport corridor.

The diplomat also mentioned the agreement on neutral-design license plates, when Chisinau and Tiraspol “demonstrated in deeds their preparedness to joint activities”.

“Presently, an important question on the negotiation agenda is the discussion about telecommunications, which must become an important step to further cooperation of the two river banks”, Claus Neukirch said, stressing that the above successes became possible thanks to the braveness and political will of the negotiation process participants.

“Of course, a final settlement of the Transnistrian conflict still requires much effort and discussions, and we have been certainly not at such a stage. But now we must understand which steps the Sides are ready to make in the nearest future, so as to include them into agenda. Also, it is necessary to clarify the steps that should lead to the opening of the "Third Basket”, to the Transnistria status question”, said Claus Neukirch.

The diplomat stressed that a key question in the conflict settlement process is the presence of dialog.

“There is a dialog on the official level. But for better results in settling the conflict, it is necessary to attract the civil societies from both Dniester River sides because the ultimate goal of the entire settlement process is the achieving of concrete decisions for the good of the people who live on the Dniester banks”, said the OSCE Mission Head.