Moldova and Ukraine sign new cooperation accord

A new cooperation accord on ensuring national minorities’ rights was signed on Monday, April 14, by Moldovan Foreign Minister Andrei Stratan and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Ohryzko, Info-Prim Neo reports. The success obtained following the cooperation between Moldova and Ukraine in the area of the European integration, political issues, Ukraine’s position in solving the Transnistrian conflict have been the topics tackled at the meeting of the two officials. According to Moldovan deputy premier Andrei Stratan, they have approached matters related to the state’s stability and security, taking into account the principles of the European Union. In this respect, Volodymyr Ohryzko has told journalists Ukraine plays a key role in settling the Transnistrian conflict in the 5+2 format, specifying the efforts are streamlined to preserve Moldova’s territorial integrity. “The 5+2 format represents the only way to settle the Transnistrian conflict, as Ukraine is a guarantor of preserving Moldova’s integrity as a state,” the Ukrainian Foreign Minister has said. In order to solve the customs issue, technical and financial aid from the European Commission has been asked to mark the central (Transnistrian) sector of the Moldovan-Ukrainian border, Ohryzko has specified. According to the Moldovan Minister for External Affairs and European Integration, the starting help is assessed at 4 million euros, and then 8 million euros are expected. Taking into account that an important number of Ukrainians live in Moldova, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister agreed with Andrei Stratan to solve the education issues of this community. [Info-Prim Neo’s note: 5+2 format means the settlement negotiations are conducted by Moldova, the Transnistrian region, Russia, Ukraine, the OSCE plus the USA and the EU as observers.]