Vienna, April 11. /Novosti Pridnestrovya/. Russia drew the attention of the OSCE to Chisinau’s reluctance and unwillingness to take into account the opinion of Tiraspol when resolving existing differences. Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia Maxim Buyakevich noted that Chisinau is trying not only to “consign to oblivion” the “5+2” negotiating format, but is also doing everything to prevent negotiations from resuming. As an example, the permanent representative of Russia cited the “law on separatism,” which, in essence, declared all Pridnestrovians criminals.
“The Russian Federation has repeatedly, including in this hall, called on the 5+2 parties to return to the work of this format. The same call was recorded in a number of statements by the foreign ministers of the OSCE participating States, adopted by consensus, which also emphasized that the “5+2” is the only mechanism for achieving a comprehensive and sustainable settlement. It seems that everyone, including the OSCE leadership, simply forgot about this. We are not,” Buyakevich said at a meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council.
Let us recall that the “law on separatism” was adopted by the Parliament of Moldova in December 2023 and provides for penalties in the form of imprisonment for up to 20 years or fines of up to 75 thousand lei. At the same time, the wording of the law allows for too broad an interpretation, which, according to the European Commission, “may have a negative impact on freedom of expression and association, the rights of national minorities and non-discrimination, as well as on the dynamics of the settlement of the Pridnestrovian conflict.”
