Moldova to unveil new political concept to stimulate Transnistrian settlement process

Chisinau, 11 October /MOLDPRES/ - Moldova in early 2017 will unveil a new political concept, which will meet the international recognized parameters, and will stimulate the Transnistrian settlement process. Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the Transnistrian Settlement Process Cord Meier-Klodt made statements to this effect following a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Gheorghe Balan today.  

The European official noted that, at the meeting, the sides had discussed the implementation of the jointly established commitments in Berlin in last June, the goal of which is to prepare the ground for the Declaration that is to be set forth at the OSCE Ministerial Council, due Hamburg in next December. “I welcome the sides’ willingness to continue the work and preparation for the substantial discussions in the five-plus-two format, as well as the continuation of the process of implementing the earlier approved issues,” Cord Meier-Klodt said.   

For his part, Deputy Prime Minister Gheorghe Balan said that the officials had debated the actions undertaken by the sectoral working groups, including prospects of activity within the negotiations of the Chisinau and Tiraspol political representatives. “An important subject was the one of education, movement of transport, ecology, railways and what actions we can undertake to overcome the problems emerging in these fields,” Balan said.

At the same time, Gheorghe Balan informed about the extension and strengthening of the Bureau for Reintegration, in order to work out and promote national policies on Moldova’s reintegration. “The Bureau’s extension has already started; we are in the process of identifying the staff. The decision to consolidate the Bureau was taken, given that the country’s reintegration represents one of Moldova’s priorities, as without the settlement of the Transnistrian conflict, as well as without overcoming other negative phenomena, it will be very difficult for us to imagine the possibility of the European integration,” Balan noted.    

Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the Transnistrian Settlement Process on behalf of Germany, Ambassador Cord Meier-Klodt is on a 10-12 October official visit to Chisinau and Tiraspol. On 10 October, Cord Meier-Klodt met the political representative on behalf of the Transnistrian region, Vitaly Ignatyev, in Tiraspol and discussed with Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration, political representative on behalf of Moldova Gheorghe Balan in Chisinau today.     

(Reporter A. Plitoc, editor M. Jantovan)