Monitoring→Politics→Transnistrian Conflict

Voronin-Smirnov meeting not taking place

The meeting between President Vladimir Voronin and Transnistrian leader Igor Smirnov set for the third decade of September 2008 did not take place. The intrigue of the meeting concerned consisted in preparing the ground for an eventual trilateral meeting in November 2008, with the participation of Russian President Dmitri Medvedev. According to the Moscow-based newspaper Kommersant, the November-scheduled meeting should crown Russia’s efforts to prove before the summit of NATO foreign ministers that Russia is capable to settle frozen conflict on a peaceful way as well.

The Voronin-Smirnov meeting was allegedly cancelled for very curious reasons: in particular, the parties failed to agree on the time and place for meeting; there were no security guarantees for the Transnistrian leader, etc. But the most plausible argument was that parties did not want to give up previous approaches relating to principles of conflict settlement. Moldovan authorities insisted on the documents they have worked out in the last two years and on the “5+2” negotiation process. In their turn, Transnistrian authorities insisted on the recognition of Transnistria and signing of a cooperation agreement with the Republic of Moldova.

Moldova’s position on Transnistria settlement exposed on U.N. platform

While addressing the 63^rd session of the United Nations General Assembly on September 29, 2008, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Andrei Stratan told the viewpoint of Moldovan authorities regarding the reform of the Security Council, which should encourage and optimise “U.N. actions in the area of international peacekeeping and security, development of cooperation with regional organisations and member states, including with the view to settle conflicts in various regions of the world.”

According to Andrei Stratan, “developments in South Ossetia (Georgia) have proved one more time that frozen conflicts are instability hotbeds and threat the regional and international security. Intensifying international cooperation to settle conflicts and prevent in future such situations of crisis which endanger the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states has a major importance for the Republic of Moldova as well, as it faces a frozen conflict in eastern districts of the country.”

In this context, Mr. Stratan reconfirmed Moldova’s position regarding some aspects of the Russian-Georgian conflict and vision on principles to settle the Transnistrian conflict. He assured that the Republic of Moldova:

• Opposes categorically any methods to settle conflicts by force, subscribing to the French European Union Presidency concerning the degradation of situation in South Ossetia read at the August 8, 2008 extraordinary meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council, and calls for the complete fulfilment of the Peace Plan mediated by the French EU Presidency;
• Considers that the unilateral recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia will not stabilise the situation. This step will reduce the responsibility of the conflicting sides to find a compromise between nations and their capacity to find fair solutions by respecting the territorial integrity and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms;
• Considers that situations such as that faced by Georgia shall be settled only in compliance with the Helsinki Final Act, the Charter of the United Nations and all effective international law principles;
• As regards the conflict in eastern districts (Transnsitria), it has acted and keeps acting coherently in compliance with the law on basic provisions of the special legal status of localities from the left bank of the Dniester, which was unanimously adopted by Parliament on July 22, 2005 and sanctions the resolution of the Transnistrian conflict on political ways only;
• Considers that the demilitarisation and democratisation of the Transnistrian region are essential premises of a viable resolution of the Transnistrian conflict;
• Is concerned with making conditions to impel the settlement process. For this purpose, President Vladimir Voronin has released initiatives on building confidence and security between both banks of the Dniester, in particular, by ensuring the freedom of move, the joint participation in working out and implementing projects on restoration and modernisation of infrastructure and resolution of social problems;
• Adopted the conflict resolution strategy based on a complex approach, “package initiatives”, all conflict-related political, economic, social and humanitarian issues, which stipulate the elaboration and adoption of a special legal status for the Transnistrian region by respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Moldova, consolidating the neutrality status and pulling out foreign troops from Moldova, recognising the property rights and providing sure guarantees to population;
• Appreciates the work of the EU Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine and its tight cooperation with competent bodies from both countries in the area of border management, increasing border security and transparency, in order to create more favourable conditions for the Transnistria settlement process;
• Supports efforts by mediators and observers aimed to resume the 5+2 negotiations and find a definitive solution to the conflict.

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