Tiraspol, January 12 /Novosti Pridnestrovya/. In recent months, due to the absence of political representatives from Moldova, the dialogue in the Moldovan-Pridnestrovian negotiation process has degraded in every direction. The PMR Foreign Affairs Minister Vitaly Ignatiev ascertained this fact in an interview with the Pridnestrovian mass media.
According to Vitaly Ignatiev, it should be reminded, that additionally to problems that are being created for us, in the transport sector, problems for our economic agents, arrests and, unjustified detentions of our citizens, the dialogue at the Permanent Meeting level was sabotaged by the Moldovan side. Because the 5 + 2 format didn’t take place the previous year, despite the Swedish presidency desire, just upon Moldova’s initiative. In the beginning, it was postponed and then one of the Government members, who are responsible for such direction, resigned. Everything that’s happening at that moment is a very negative tendency towards escalation.”
According to Vitaly Ignatiev, the Moldovan Prime Minister’s reaction to the PMR President’s address on December 24 the previous year is extremely indicative.
“Firstly it was noted that there was no letter, then that it’s necessary to operate through some special channels,” Vitaly Ignatiev reminded. Maybe Mrs. Gavrilitsa isn’t aware, but the RM’s President has met with the Pridnestrovian President eight times in recent years. Those forces that are ready for dialogue should look for opportunities for it, and if there’s no readiness, then any justifications won’t be well-grounded or convincing. We’re skeptically looking after such a situation since we see that Chisinau isn’t ready for any dialogue. Neither at the expert level nor the working, technical, or political representatives’ one. At present, even some officials are responsible for the RM’s President, trying to comment on something.”
Vitaly Ignatiev emphasized that the Moldovan side all the time uses suspending problems’ tactics, threats as well as pressure on Pridnestrovie:
“These destructive decisions; they don’t help stability and don’t help to build confidence. Generally, the next day is a big question for the negotiation process.”
Moreover, as the PMR Foreign Ministry’s head noted, the common sense in Chisinau is still not completely lost. This’s evidenced by the fact that at the previous year’s end the Moldovan government decided to freeze the second phase’s introduction of joint control at the Kuchurgan checkpoint until June 30, 2022.
“We’re making every effort to return the Moldovan side to adequate cooperation,” Vitaly Ignatiev stressed. We aren’t doing this on our own; we’re acting together with our strategic partnership with the Russian Federation as well as the OSCE. Every participant in the negotiation process understands that there can be no any alternative to dialogue.”
