EU countries, USA back Moldova in relation to its Transnistrian conflict at OSCE Summit in Helsinki

Moldova was backed by the EU countries and the USA at the OSCE Ministerial Council in Helsinki, Info-Prim Neo has learnt from a communiqué issued by the Moldovan Foreign Ministry. The reunion on December 4, 5 makes a priority from tackling the issues of European security, especially the ones triggered by frozen conflicts and the regime of conventional forces in Europe. Particularly France, in the names of those 27 EU member states, condemned Russia’s unilateral decision to recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia (Georgia). Reiterating its commitment for the sustainable settlement of the Transnistrian conflict, and of the conflicts on Georgia’s soil, the EU expressed its full support for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of the internationally recognized borders of Georgia and Moldova. The EU has also expressed its firm support for the 5+2 format talks as the only able to guarantee reaching a viable and comprehensive settlement of the Transnistrian issue. Invoking the need for additional efforts in settling the Transnistrian conflict, the United States of America stressed the need for Russia to fully fulfill its commitments from the Istanbul OSCE summit regarding the retreat of its military from Moldova. In this respect, Russia was urged to conform to the key principle of the CFE Treaty regarding the agreement of the host country to allow foreign forces stay on its territory. At a meeting of Moldovan Foreign Minister Andrei Stratan with the assistant of the US secretary of state, Daniel Fried, the latter reiterated the continuous support on the part of the White House for Moldova’s objectives in the process of solving the Transnistrian conflict. Several political parties from Moldova sent a joint appeal last month to the OSCE Ministerial Council demanding to step up the efforts in relation to the Russian decision-makers, regarding the fulfillment of the commitments made in Istanbul in 1999 on the full withdrawal of the Russian troops and ammunitions from the territory of the Republic of Moldova. Before the Helsinki summit, some political parties staged protests actions in front of administrative centers of Moldova and the Russian Embassy to Chisinau.