The Head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova, Claus Neukirch, today welcomed the decision of the Government of the Republic of Moldova to adopt the “Instruction on the certification of civil status facts occurred and recorded in the localities on the left bank of the Nistru and in Bender municipality”.

“By adopting this decision, the Government is safeguarding the human rights of people living in Transnistria. I highly welcome this important step,” a press release from the OSCE Mission quoted Neukirch as saying.

The instruction, adopted on 29 May, will simplify the procedure of recognizing and registering marriages, divorces, births, and deaths recorded in Transnistria. The Head of Mission underlined that the new procedures will help to improve the access of people to education, healthcare and other vital basic services and reminded that the importance of recognizing the legitimacy of legal arrangements, such as civil status facts, has been stressed in several judgements of the European Court of Human Rights.

“Over the past weeks Chisinau and Tiraspol have demonstrated leadership by making decisions that have improved the situation for people on the ground. I am confident this measure will further strengthen the trust and confidence built over the past years in the Transdniestrian settlement process,” Neukirch said.

Issues related to the civil status and documentation of the population are regularly discussed by the Sides in the framework of thematic expert working groups, which remain a viable platform for dialogue in the Transnistrian settlement process.