Tiraspol, 27 November. /Novosti Pridnestrovya/. Pridnestrovie's initiative to open the bridge across the Dniester near the villages of Bychok and Gura Bicului has shown the Moldovan side that it is better to agree on a mutually advantageous basis than "continue maintaining 'rigid' positions". This success was developed on 25 November in Bendery where the political representatives of Moldova and the PMR signed four documents aimed at resolving a number of issues that have been on the negotiating table for a long time. This was said by foreign minister Vitaly Ignatyev on the First Pridnestrovian TV channel.
The agreements signed by Kishinev and Tiraspol are aimed at solving issues in the sphere of telecommunication, recognition of Pridnestrovian university diplomas abroad, Romanian-language school and the use of farmland in Pridnesrrovie's Dubossary District.
According to Ignatyev, the signing of the agreement on telecommunication is of great importance. This is a long-standing issue began in 2004 with the so-called "telephone war".
"Telecommunication is a very sensitive area. It is complicated by the commercial interests of the companies that provide these services — there several such companies in Moldova, and they are transnational. There are also technical issues related to mutual interference, overlapping frequencies. As part of the protocol decision, we determined that our experts had a vision of a mechanism to solve all the problems that would make it possiblу to overcome the difficulties that had actually existed since the beginning of the 'telephone war' in 2004," said the minister.
According to Ignatyev, the agreement provides for reciprocal connection, the establishment of contacts between providers, as well as the possibility of a roaming agreement not only with Moldovan providers but also with international partners.
"It is a guarantee that the frequencies that are used now will be reserved for Pridnestrovie, and the quality of communication, the transition to LTE frequencies will be carried out without problems. In other words, this allows us to develop the entire sphere of telecommunication in a stable mode," explained Ignatyev.
The agreements will also address such a humanitarian problem as the recognition of university diplomas issued in Pridnestrovie.
"In fact, we have resolved the problem on the basis of the recommendations of international experts, who worked on this issue in 2014. We are glad that the Moldovan side had heeded our arguments and withdrawn the accreditation requirements for our university. Now we have a concept of a neutral diploma that will be internationally recognised," said Ignatyev.
In turn, Prdnestrovie has made concessions in the area of farmland use and the work of Romanian-language schools in the PMR. In the meantime, reciprocal steps had been made before the protocol decisions were made since the documents reflected some of the provisions that had already been implemented.
"We have always said we do not create any impediments to the normal operation of educational institutions. The school issue has become less acute. There are some decisions that we have recorded in these agreements as they had already been adopted. There are the decisions that allow the Moldovan side to face the future with more confidence — this applies to the extension of lease agreements by these schools for a longer period," explained the diplomat.
With regard to land use, the temporary mechanism that was developed in 2006 turned out to be non-operational — the Moldovan side called it "too complicated" back then. The document signed in Bendery brings the situation back to the previous position.
"In 2013-2014 we tried to work out new mechanisms. But since our Moldovan partners are now insisting on returning to the 2006 mechanism and are ready to meet all the necessary requirements, Pridnestrovie is going to accommodate theirs," said Ignatyev.
In working on the draft agreements without international intermediaries, the parties did not intend to comply with any calendar schedule of the Austrian Chairmanship, Ignatyev noted.
"We saw our international partners, in fact, withdraw from participation in the '5+2' format. The Austrian Chairmanship has refused to provide a negotiating platform until the sides reach practical results. The position Austria has shown this year is a direct violation of the principles and procedures of the negotiating process. Obviously, having seen a certain positive trend, the bridge decision, our partners have realised they need to join in the process," noted the diplomat.
Ignatyev expressed the hope that Italia's OSCE Chairmanship in 2018 will be far more systemic and efficient.
The scheduled round "5+2" negotiations is taking place in Vienna on 27 - 28 November.
