Moldovan PM meets OSCE Mission head

Chisinau, 10 August /MOLDPRES/- Prime Minister Valeriu Strelet met OSCE Mission head Michael Scanlan today. The officials discussed issues of the Transnistrian conflict settlement process and priorities of the new government, the government's communication and media relations department has reported.

Strelet highly appreciated the role of the OSCE in the settlement process, as well as the support provided to Moldova by the organisation in different sectors. He said that the Transnistrian conflict settlement was one of the basic priorities of the cabinet. The prime minister also said that the government was set to boost the process of enforcing the provisions of the Free Trade Agreement with the EU, which would give all economic agents, including those from the Transnistrian region, the chance to benefit from opportunities and facilities of an advantageous trade regime with EU countries.

For his part, the official remarked the importance of strengthening the institutional capacity and coordinating the government's policies on the Transnistrian settlement process.

The sides also discussed prospects for approving, in the near future, a strategy on integration of minorities, the elaboration of which was supported by the High Commissioner for National Minorities of OSCE. The two officials tackled the situation in Gagauzia and interaction of central authorities with Gagauz administration. In the context, the prime minister expressed confidence that there would be an efficient cooperation between the new government and the Gagauz administration, referring to his recent visit paid to Comrat, which he describe as productive. 

Ambassador Scanlan welcomed the prime minister's declaration, made last week in Comrat, on the creation of a permanent working group on Gagauzia's problems within one of the first parliamentary sessions this autumn.

The OSCE Mission has been operating in Moldova since 1993 and was set up following a request by Moldova, to assist the Moldovan authorities in the Transnistrian conflict settlement process.

(Editor L. Alcaza)