OSCE Ministerial Council encourages advancement of five-plus-two talks on Transnistrian settlement

Chisinau, 5 December /MOLDPRES/ - The OSCE Ministerial Council, held in Belgrade on 3-4 December, passed a declaration on the five-plus-two negotiations for the Transnistrian settlement process, the Bureau for Reintegration has reported.

The text  adopted by the member states had been prepared by representatives of the OSCE chairmanship-in-office, Russia, Ukraine, United States, European Union and Moldova. 

The Moldovan delegation to the meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council was led by Deputy Prime Minister, acting Foreign and European Integration Minister Natalia Gherman, and represented by Deputy Prime Minister, acting Reintegration Minister Victor Osipov in the process of negotiations on the Declaration. 

The Moldovan officials welcomed the consolidated position of the OSCE members, which is absolutely necessary and particularly important for boosting the talks in the direction of the three topic-related "baskets", and especially to tackle the basic task: identifying a final political solution to the Transnistrian conflict. 

The document shows that the Transnistrian settlement remains a priority on the OSCE's agenda. At the same time, the member state reiterate the need to get a comprehensive and peaceful settlement of the conflict, based on Moldova's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as on a special status for Transnistria, that will fully guarantee the political, economic and social rights of the residents. The declaration also highlights the necessity to advance in the work of the permanent conference on political issues in the Transnistrian settlement process (five-plus-two format). In this context, the declarations calls for a proactive involvement of the sides in the settlement process, having political representatives with full powers.

The declaration urges the sides involved in the negotiating process to bolster efforts for promoting confidence- and security-building measures. The mediators and observers are also called to double their efforts to make progress in identifying a  plenary solution to the Transnistrian conflict problem. 

The OSCE participating countries reconfirmed the importance to strengthen trust between the two banks of Dniester. At the same time, they hailed the positive examples from 2015, especially the productive meetings of leaders, and called for pressing ahead with this process. 

It is worth mentioning that the Declaration on the Transnistrian conflict from Moldova was the only one to be adopted at this OSCE ministerial meeting on protracted conflicts. 

(Editor L. Alcaza)