Moldova hails agreement on resumption of Transdniester talks
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 22 September 2011 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Moldova hails agreement on resumption of Transdniester talks, 22 September 2011, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4e897400c.html [accessed 3 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
September 22, 2011
CHISINAU – The Moldovan government has welcomed an agreement reached in Moscow today on the resumption, after five years, of official talks on resolving the conflict over the disputed Transdniester region, RFE/RL's Moldovan Service reports.
Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister Eugen Carpov, who headed Moldova's delegation to the informal meeting in Moscow under the aegis of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), told RFE/RL that today's agreement constitutes a "substantial step forward."
He said he expects the first official talks to be held before the end of this year.
Giedrius Cekuolis, the special representative of the OSCE Chairperson in Office for Protracted Conflicts who chaired today's Moscow meeting, was quoted on the OSCE website as saying he has offered to chair the first round of the new talks in the so-called 5+2 format, which are scheduled to be held in Lithuania at an unspecified date.
The 5+2 format comprises the conflict sides – Moldova and its breakaway Transdniester region – along with Russia, Ukraine, and the United States, plus the European Union and the OSCE.
Official talks were broken off in 2006 when relations between Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin and Transdniester leader Igor Smirnov soured. But informal contacts have continued under the OSCE aegis.
The Transdniester region, where the majority of people are Slavic-speaking, declared its independence from Moldova in 1990 and fought a brief war against Moldovan forces in 1992. It has been de facto independent since then.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
