The first round of the 5+2 Transdniestrian conflict settlement talks this year will take place in Vienna on February 27 and 28, said Special Representative of the Swiss OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the Transdniestrian settlement process, Ambassador Radojko Bogojević, quoted by IPN.

The official concluded a four-day visit to Moldova, which included meetings with the political leadership in Chisinau and Tiraspol. “Preparations for the next round of the 5+2 talks on the Transdniestrian settlement process were the key topic of our discussions, and I was encouraged by the constructive attitude of the sides and their focus on achieving practical results and alleviating problems people face in their daily lives,” Bogojević said in a news conference.

He stressed that the Transnistrian settlement is high on the agenda of the consecutive Swiss-Serbian Chairmanships of the OSCE in 2014-2015. “We are strongly determined to work on the basis of what was done by our predecessors, to facilitate achieving a comprehensive, just and viable resolution of the conflict, and help build confidence between people on both banks of the Nistru River,” stated the official. The agenda of the Vienna talks hasn’t been yet set. The OSCE is to receive proposals from the sides by February 5.

In Chisinau, Bogojević met with the principals of the Latin-script schools from Transnistria, representatives of civil society and the diplomatic community, researchers and journalists from both banks of the river. The delegation also visited a local school in Transnistria.

The situation of the Latin-script schools from Transnistria and the confidence-building measures aimed at improving the situation in the eastern districts were discussed in a meeting with Head of Parliament Igor Corman. “Despite the latest challenges, the approach must be constructive. We are for dialog and for the identification of solutions to the existing problems. We must build bridges over the Nistru and involve the people from the left bank of the Nistru in different projects,” said the Speaker.

In a news conference held jointly with Radojko Bogojević, Head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova Jennifer Brush said the OSCE aims to continue the discussions so as to organize meetings at parliamentary level between the official Chisinau and the Transnistrian administration.

Ambassador Radojko Bogojević took up the position of Special Representative this January and will hold it throughout the consecutive Swiss and Serbian Chairmanships in 2014-2015.