A working meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs took place at the presidential executive office. Vadim Krasnoselsky and Vitaly Ignatiev discussed various aspects of the activities of the foreign policy department. Particular attention was paid to the current state of affairs in the negotiation process. The Minister characterized the Moldovan-Pridnestrovian dialogue as inactive and noted the lack of progress. According to him, this year there were only two meetings of political representatives and eight meetings of expert (working) groups (for comparison: nine meetings of political representatives of the parties to the conflict and 17 meetings of expert groups were held in 2022). Motor transport issues were discussed on the 4th of December. A meeting of the expert group on economics and related aspects of the environmental sector is planned before the end of this month. The meeting was repeatedly postponed at the initiative of the Moldovan side. Such destructive practice has become commonplace, noted Vitaly Ignatiev. He emphasized the low effectiveness of the negotiations, noting that most issues remain open even after discussion. The Foreign Minister focused on the fact that the pressure exerted by Moldova on the economic agents of Pridnestrovie and the far-fetched grounds for obstructing their activities lead to downtime of enterprises and the risk of loss of workforce. The speaker mentioned the updated work program of the Moldovan government speaking about the banking blockade and negative trends in the customs sector.
The Minister recalled the situation with the obstruction of the supply of a new Italian-made X-ray machine for the Pridnestrovian tuberculosis dispensary as an example of the problems artificially created by the Moldovan side in the humanitarian sphere.
The Moldovan law on separatism, which retains legal force, was mentioned. Moldova ignores the position of Pridnestrovie and remains deaf to the opinion of the international community. An independent international examination has been prepared, which convincingly substantiates the conclusion that these regulations create opportunity for abuse and negatively affect the dialogue with Pridnestrovie.
The interlocutors spoke about the passivity of the majority of mediators in the negotiation process. It was noted that interaction with participants in the “Permanent Meeting...” format is maintained. OSCE representatives are more active than others in making contact.
The prospects for next year were discussed in the course of the meeting. Malta will chair the OSCE. The PMR Foreign Ministry is already working to establish dialogue.
They talked about international meeting of experts on the issues of the Moldovan-Pridnestrovian settlement planned for mid-December in Istanbul. According to Vitaly Ignatiev, official representatives of various states have been invited to it, including those who are participants in the “Permanent Conference...”. This example confirms the inconsistency of the arguments cited for postponing negotiations in the “5+2” format.
The President, setting the aim of further work for the Foreign Ministry, emphasized that the continuation of the negotiation process is a priority. The fundamental goal is to preserve peace. The President outlined guidelines and objectives, gave a number of recommendations and current instructions.
“It is impossible to maintain peace without negotiation process, and we are committed to peace. I hope all participants in the format understand this, understand the inadmissibility of escalating tensions in Pridnestrovie and the region. I hope that the 2024 OSCE Chairman-in-Office will visit Pridnestrovie. It is necessary to do preparatory work. The entire agenda that you outlined will be the subject of a detailed conversation,” noted Vadim Krasnoselsky.
