Josselin de Rohan calls for dialogue between Moldovan and Transnistrian MPs

The Head of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s delegation for Moldova is calling for a dialogue between the Moldovan and Transnistrian MPs, for establishing permanent contacts, at all levels, between the two banks of the Nistru River. The statement was made [during a meeting with Speaker Marian Lupu.] According to a press release of the Parliament’s press service, Marian Lupu agreed about the importance of a constructive permanent dialogue between the two regions. He also pointed out the necessity of an active channel of communication with the international partners as well as for the achievement of conditions for the democratisation and demilitarisation of the eastern region of Moldova. The Speaker emphasised the importance of a more active participation of the European Union. He also mentioned the importance of the withdrawal of military forces from the territory of the Republic of Moldova, in compliance with the international commitments of the Russian Federation at the OSCE Summit in 1999. [During his meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Andrei Stratan,] the European official mentioned that the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly supports the peaceful settlement of the Transnistrian conflict, by maintaining the territorial integrity of the country and offering a special status to the Transnistrian region as part of Moldova. For his part, Andrei Stratan reiterated the state’s position concerning the maintaining of neutrality stipulated in the Constitution and insistence on the fulfilment of the Russian Federation’s international obligations expressed at the 1999 Istanbul Summit. He added that compliance with these obligations will facilitate significantly the settlement of the conflict. [Within a meeting with Minister of reintegration Vasilii Sova,] Josselin de Rohan expressed his interest for the exploration of possibilities for the facilitation of the conflict regulation process by OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, especially in the context of the recent initiatives of President Voronin for the consolidation of trust and security. Vasili Sova related about the recent actions of the Government in this direction, specifying that working groups have been created in order to initiate first proposals in nearest future. The minister mentioned the importance of an eventual technical, financial and expert assistance from the involved international bodies. During his visit on November 13 and 14, Rohan paid a visit to Tiraspol and met with the leaders of the Moldovan parliamentary factions.