Kiev will host negotiations with Tiraspol administration

Kiev will host negotiations for regulation of issues related to the Transnistrian conflict the next days, Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko told a joint news conference with his Lithuanian counterpart Valdas Adamkus in the Ukrainian capital on Saturday. Ukrainian media quoted Yushchenko as saying that the issues that require additional consultations will be negotiated with the Transnistrian side. In this regard, Yushchenko recalled that Ukraine has proposed a couple of months ago what Kiev describes as a political plan on settlement of the Transnistrian crisis. Speaking about the new customs regime at the Moldovan-Ukrainian border, he said that it was included exclusively to ensure a transparent crossing of the Ukrainian border in line with international requirements and it does not influence the organisation of financial and budgetary relations in Transnistria. „Unfortunately, the Transnistrian administration saw Ukraine’s stance on other way and it took a destructive attitude,” he noted. Yushchenko stressed that he has negotiated with Tiraspol leader Igor Smirnov and told him the logic and continuity of actions of the Ukrainian side, while the series of unsolved issues will be discussed in Kiev. He stressed that dozens of representatives of the European Union observe the developments in Transnistria and they did not signal any violations of international norms and procedures until now. The Ukrainian leader called the Transnistrian side not to speculate and to understand the needs resulting from the complex plan on conflict resolution. Ukraine allows the exportation of goods over its border with Moldova on basis of the Moldovan customs stamps only starting March 3. This decision has raised bitter reactions from administration of the separatist region. Moscow backs the stance of the Transnistrian authorities, while the State Duma adopted a declaration in which it described these measures as economic blockade and demanded the restoration of the customs regime implemented before March 3. On the other hand, the international community saluted what it described as fair decision of Ukraine and noted that this is not an economic blockade on Moldova’s eastern breakaway enclave of Transnistria.