The meeting of the Presidents of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic and the Republic of Moldova is completed. It lasted more than four hours. The first part - tête-à-tête of the leadership took about an hour. Three more were discussed in expanded composition. At the end of the conversation Vadim Krasnoselsky and Igor Dodon summed up the results of the bilateral meeting.
Igor Dodon, President of the Republic of Moldova:
Today we had a very good meeting with Vadim Nikolaevich. This is the sixth meeting in the last two and a half years. I want to note the positive dynamics of our dialogue. We discussed a lot of issues. I will try to structure them in directions.
The first is all about telecommunications. It is known that in the past year before last, laws were passed in Moldova that made it possible for the Pridnestrovian "IDC" to obtain a Moldovan license. Today we discussed specific deadlines for solving this problem. We hope that by the beginning of next year we will find a solution. There is a political desire on the right bank of the Dniester, in Chisinau - at the level of the presidency, government and parliament - to move in this direction.
The second important area is criminal cases. We were informed at our first meeting with Vadim Nikolayevich that the Pridnestrovian side decided to close some criminal cases. There is movement from our part. We discussed specific things today. I am very glad that we have a good result in this area.
The third question concerns the free movement of our citizens. There is a pilot project that we discussed last time, last year. I want to note that there is already a positive trend in its implementation. We are talking about the Bendery-Varnitsa-Severny trolleybus line with a length of 10 kilometers. By the decision of our partners from Pridnestrovie, residents of Pridnestrovie and Moldova, who will travel along this route, will do this without control from the relevant authorities. I think this is a very important thing: we will take the first step in order to move on.
Fourth. On the one and the other hand, we discussed with the participation of political negotiators the results of the meeting in the 5 + 2 format in Bratislava. There will be continued discussion in Bavaria next week. We discussed aspects that would allow us to sign a protocol that was not signed in Bratislava. I hope that our negotiators will hear Vadim Nikolaevich and me, we will do our best to find a solution and sign this protocol.
Another important point is everything related to the banking system. Today we discussed in sufficient detail how to find a solution to this problem. I will gather our specialists in the coming days. It will be necessary to seriously address this issue in order to find a solution. We are interested in the fact that Moldovan and Pridnestrovian enterprises operate in legal environment. It is necessary to give everyone the opportunity to work, especially since these enterprises from Pridnestrovie carry out a large volume of sales, export of goods to the right bank or to the European Union, according to the agreement that Chisinau signed. Therefore, the banking system - this is one of the most important issues that we discussed - we will work and try to find a solution.
Vadim Krasnoselsky, the PMR President:
What is the most important thing in the negotiation process? Not only to sign this or that agreement, but to achieve its execution. The end of 2017 - 2018 - it was a stage when we signed agreements, implemented, achieved. There were open questions, for example, on telecommunications. Today we returned to its discussion. I am satisfied that specific deadlines have been set for the parties to fully fulfill their obligations. There are questions of criminal cases brought against citizens of Pridnestrovie and Moldova. Unfortunately, it turned out that specific employees, specific officials became hostages of the situation. It was decided, as we proposed in 2017, and are still proposing today, to conduct an audit of all criminal cases and make decisions in certain categories, in terms of crimes and in ending, ultimately, criminal prosecution. I am glad that the Moldovan side has gone forward, and now the question of terminating 38 criminal cases is open. Now it’s important to exchange information so that we know which Pridnestrovian citizens made decisions to terminate criminal cases in order to bring information to the addressees. Naturally, for our part, we also commit ourselves to conducting a similar audit and to make certain decisions. The movement should be towards each other.
The issue of free movement is very important. We also discussed it. The Pridnestrovian side’s idea of building the Bendery – Varnitsa – Severny trolleybus line was supported by the Moldovan side and the OSCE mission. Now the design work is underway, the issue of the tender is relevant. I welcome the decision of the Moldovan side to support this initiative.
Of course, the banking issue is relevant today. It can be divided into two parts: this is the question of converting Moldovan lei into foreign currency and the question of opening the accounts of Pridnestrovian enterprises and their work in the banking sector of Moldova. The issue is discussed in detail. Consultations will continue. The banking issue was a stumbling block in Bratislava, where the final agreement was not signed. I believe that if there are problems, they should be considered in the 5 + 2 format. There is no tragedy, this is work, and it will be continued. I am focused on the practical result. Both I, and the President of Moldova, and all participants of the 5 + 2 format and members of expert groups should be guided by a principle, the essence of which is not only to sign, but also to fulfill.
