OSCE TO ASK MOLDOVAN PG ABOUT CRIMINAL CASES AGAINST TRANSNISTRIAN OFFICIALS

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) will direct a letter to the Moldovan Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) in which it will ask about how many criminal cases are opened against Transnistrian officials, on which offenses and if new criminal cases have been opened recently.

This was announced by Special Representative of the Italian OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the Transnistrian Settlement Process, Franco Frattini after the visit to Tiraspol. He was accompanied by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Slovakia to Moldova Dusan Dacho, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Italy to Moldova Valeria Biagiotti, head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova Claus Neukirch and representatives of the OSCE Slovak presidency.

According to Frattini, the letter to the Prosecutor General will serve as the beginning of monitoring the OSCE intends to conduct together with the Prosecutor General’s Office.

“This problem should be resolved as there is progress in the issue of Dubasari agricultural lands, for example”, he said, stressing that the OSCE supports the need of resuming work of all working groups where current issues are resolved.

The diplomat also confirmed the readiness to contribute to resuming the work of the 3+2 format in order that their participants to assess the possibility of convening a meeting in the 5+2 format before summer vacation.

“Next week I will be in Vienna. I plan to meet with OSCE ambassadors, with Mr. Lajcak [Miroslav – OSCE Chairperson-in-Office]. I will discuss the question of organizing meetings of negotiation process participants. I think that the visit in the 3+2 format is possible in June. Much will depend on whether the Moldovan Government will be formed by that time. However, the 3+2 visit may be organized regardless of this. I will discuss with Mr. Lajcak the possibility of conducting meeting in the format 5+2 in July or September”, Frattini said.

President of the unrecognized Transnistrian Moldovan republic (PMR) Vadim Krasnoselsky also stood for resuming negotiations in the 5+2 format, for which expert groups should be working and political representatives should meet.

“We see objective reasons for suspension: the political crisis in Moldova has not been liquidated so far. We wish stability and consensus to our neighbors. This is what the progress in negotiation process depends on. We hope for good sense of our colleagues. For our part, we are also ready to remove obstacles which hinder movement forward”, he said.

Among the main questions of the agenda, Krasnoselsky pointed on the issues of telecommunications and the closing of politically motivated criminal cases. Among the new questions to be discussed there are neutral driving licenses.

“However, if the negotiation process continues stagnating, as it is happening today, it is very difficult to talk about any progress or achieving new agreements. We are adherents to continuation of the negotiation process – the activity of expert (working) groups, political representatives, functioning of formats 3+2 and 5+2”, the Transnistrian leader said.