Transnistrian Conflict on February 1–16, 2007

“Five-Plus-Two” negotiations

A try to restart the “Five-Plus-Two” negotiations in the mid-February failed. We recall that mediators and observers of the Transnistrian settlement process sent letters to Chisinau and Tiraspol, inviting them at a new round of negotiation on February 15–16, after the Madrid consultations in late January. The Chisinau authorities gave green light to this invitation and confirmed their intention to attend the February round. On the other hand, the Transnistrian side did not give a clear response to the Madrid invitation, refusing the participation with only a couple of days before the round of negotiations. By releasing a press statement on February 15, 2007, the OSCE Mission to Moldova was disappointed with failed negotiations, but fell short of revealing the guilty. The Ministry of Reintegration has also released a communication, expressing disappointment and puzzle with failure of the round of negotiations because of absence of some participants, without invoking any grounded reasons.

Earlier, the head of the Tiraspol “supreme soviet”, Evgeny Shevchyuk, has earlier told a meeting with the E.U. special representative for Moldova, Adriaan Jakobovits de Szeged, that a fair solution to the Transnistrian conflict will not be found as long as the Transnistrian region is facing economic and political blockades. According to Shevchyuk, the Transnistrian side will kick off its participation in negotiations only after the methods of force will be given up, because thus Transnistria will face unfair conditions and will be unable to protect itself.

It is worth to mention that the Tiraspol legislature annulled on January 31, 2007 a January 6, 1993 decision by the “supreme soviet” on creation of a confederation with Moldova, as well as decisions by the “supreme council” concerning creation of a federation and creation of a Moldovan-Transnistrian commission in 2003 to work out the constitution of the federal state. Transnistrian “speaker” Evgeny Shevchyuk motivated these decisions with adjustment of the stance of the Transnistrian region on Moldova to the foreign policy concept of Transnistria, results of the September 17 referendum and “constitution” of the region. At the same time, Shevchyuk noted that the annulment of these acts does not mean the refusal of the Transnistrian side to participate in political negotiations with Moldovan authorities.

Munich Conference on Security Policy

Moldovan Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Andrei Stratan referred among others to efforts of Moldovan authorities to settle the Transnistrian conflict, at the February 9–11 Munich Conference on Security Policy. The Moldovan minister reiterated the decision of Moldovan authorities to find a lasting political solution to the Transnistrian conflict on basis of sovereignty and territorial integrity of Moldova. Minister Stratan raised concern with inefficiency of the present peacekeeping mechanism in the Transnistrian region and called for replacement with joint peacekeeping forces with an international mandate. Stratan asked Russia to honour the decisions of the 1999 Istanbul OSCE Summit and to withdraw its military forces and munitions from the Transnistrian region. At the same time, Minister Stratan expressed hope that the E.U. will strengthen its role of guarantor of European security with a bigger contribution to the Transnistrian settlement process. The latter desideratum was also invoked by Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, who has asked the E.U. to support the territorial integrity of Moldova. According to Yushchenko, the Transnistrian conflict is not a secondary European problem. Yushchenko noted that the signing of a multilateral document to confirm the territorial integrity of Moldova would be opportune. “We must do our best to ensure the optimal settlement of this conflict,” Yushchenko said in a speech in Munich.

At the same time, Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has vehemently criticised the foreign policy of the United States and the eastern expansion of NATO, was unsatisfied that NATO member states refuse to ratify the Adapted Treaty of Conventional Forces in Europe as long as Russia keeps its military bases in Georgia and Moldova. According to Putin, the 1,500 Russian soldiers in the Transnistrian region are part of the peacekeeping operation in the region and guard the depots of munitions that remained in the breakaway enclave since the Soviet times.

The 43rd Munich Conference on Security Policy is an important forum of decision makers and security experts dedicated to transatlantic relations and European and international security matters. The current edition brought together first-ranking officials and personalities from the whole world, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, E.U. Council Secretary-General Javier Solana, high representative for CFSP, NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, etc.

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Transnistrian Conflict on February 1–16, 2007

“Five-Plus-Two” negotiations

Munich Conference on Security Policy

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