Tiraspol, October 07 /Novosti Pridnestrovya/. The current crisis in the Moldovan-Pridnestrovian negotiation process, as well as the issue of holding a 5+2 format participants’ meeting in November, were discussed during the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Ann Linde visit to Tiraspol. The PMR Foreign Affairs Minister Vitaly Ignatiev describes journalists this today.
According to him, at the meeting with the OSCE head, the November meeting agenda was discussed.
“We discussed those problems, which are primarily related to the Pridnestrovian vehicle's movement, as well as a package of other issues, remaining open or unfulfilled. Most importantly, the OSCE is supporting the principle of agreements implementation. As for road transport, our international partners also suppose that there should be a long-term solution common to all, but not some kind of electoral approach. The transport problem solving is the primary task for today,” the PMR Foreign Minister stressed.
He reminded that Pridnestrovie sent official appeals to every RM government branch with a proposal to intensify dialogue on issues from the Berlin Plus package.
Vitaly Ignatiev believes that to resolve the license plates issue, “the Moldovan side just should fulfill its obligations as well as use the neutral numbers mechanism that has already been developed.”
“In terms of cargo and passenger transport, then there’re agreed protocols as well as an agreed license plate numbers specifically for buses and trucks. It’s approved back in the year 2013. We reminded our colleagues from the OSCE about this,” the PMR Foreign Affairs Minister noted.
According to him, Pridnestrovie transferred the OSCE representatives an updated list of those car owners who didn’t have time to return to Pridnestrovie before October 1 and were forced to leave their cars on Ukrainian territory. “We asked the Chairman-in-Office to do everything to respect our citizens’ rights and interests,” Vitaly Ignatiev said.
Tiraspol is ready to hold a meeting in the 5 + 2 format even tomorrow. “Generally, such meetings should be held not just once a year on holidays, but about six times a year. This’s a working platform, a place for solving problems and, we have agreements within this format that haven’t been fulfilled today,” the Foreign Minister noted.
“The picture is more complicated: Chisinau is destroying all agreements, trying to disrupt the negotiation process, isn’t even going to negotiate with Pridnestrovie within the framework of the existing provisions, but is trying to apply unilateral actions. All this’s leading to tension escalation. We warned our colleagues from the OSCE about this. in my opinion, the prospects for the 5 + 2 format are unclear. Because I see that the Moldovan side is doing everything to disrupt the meeting. I have such a feeling about specific cases, namely all these specific cases absence,” Vitaly Ignatiev noted.
The Minister gave as an example: the recent sharp relations exacerbation between Serbia and Kosovo, which began with the fact that Kosovo authorities banned the cars with Serbian number plates entry.
Vitaly Ignatiev added that the munitions disposal issue at warehouses in the Kolbasna village was raised too at the meeting with Ann Linde.
“This subject is remaining open: we all remember the Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visit to Tiraspol and Chisinau in the year 2019 [ed. note]. In case when Chisinau wants to deal with the topic, then let it clearly formulate what it wants. We can’t just erase this ammunition, because it has to be redrafted, but for this purpose, we need technological capacities. The communications issue, as well as the Tiraspol airfield, will also arise. That’s why there’re many difficult questions here. However, we can't see any specific actions from the Moldovan side to discuss this substantively,” the PMR Foreign Minister stressed.
The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, the Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde visited Tiraspol and Chisinau on October 6. This’s her second visit to our region; the first one took place in February this year.
At a briefing at the Chisinau airport, Ann Linde stated that she’s ready to provide Pridnestrovie as well as Moldova with “political supporting in the negotiation process advancing and building an atmosphere of trust.”
“I underline the importance of the Berlin+ package achieving full and continuous implementation. The Swedish OSCE Chairmanship expresses its readiness to convene a result-oriented 5+2 meeting in Stockholm this year,” the Swedish Foreign Minister said.
The situation in the Moldovan-Pridnestrovian settlement process became aggravated after September 1 this year, when Ukraine, largely at the suggestion of the Moldovan authorities, introduced a ban on entry for vehicles with Pridnestrovian numbers. Tiraspol suggested Chisinau jointly apply to the Ukrainian side with a request to lift the ban, but the political representative of the Republic of Moldova, Vladislav Kulminsky, rejected this initiative.
At the same time, Chisinau isn’t ready to discuss other problems, for instance, the cargo and passenger vehicles movement from the PMR, which after September 1 was blocked. Pridnestrovie believes that all cargo and passenger carriers should be allowed to receive neutral license plates. In response, Chisinau is offering the selective approach of giving some concessions only for vehicles on certain lists.
On September 6, the Ukrainian authorities announced that until October 1, they would allow car owners with Pridnestrovian license plates to return to the PMR in transit. However, on September 30, there was a case when the Ukrainian border service stopped such a car at the Kuchurgan-Pervomaisk checkpoint. After that, about 15 more car owners from Pridnestrovie were stranded at the border.
