In 2019, the strategy that will be used by the Republic of Moldova at the Transnistrian conflict settlement talks in the 5+2 format will include the concomitant addressing of problems from all the three “baskets” agreed with the members of the format, including the political one, Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration Cristina Lesnic was quoted by IPN as saying in the talk show “Emphasis on today” on TVR Moldova channel.
Cristina Lesnic noted a statement on this strategy was supported in the recent meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council held in Milan. “This document was approved so that we continue on all the three baskets and make progress on all of them in parallel,” she stated .
According to the Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration, the criticism disseminated in the public sphere so far referred mainly to the fact that the negations made headway primarily on the first and second baskets concerning socioeconomic problems and less on the third basket that refers to security and defense. It happened so because the previous formula envisioned that the third basket will be reached based on the results achieved on the first two baskets. “The insistence of Chisinau was powerful and was supported by particular players in the 5+2 format and this statement contains a point saying all the baskets will be addressed equally,” stated the official.
She noted that in order to continue the 5+2 format talks, in the discussions with the Transnistrian administration they will propose the document approved at the meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council that involved mediators and observers of the Transnistrian conflict settlement on behalf of the U.S., Russia, Ukraine, the EU and OSCE. The new formula will not be negotiated with Tiraspol, but only proposed.
Cristina Lesnic said that even if solutions to the problems of the Latin script schools and the owners of farmland beyond the Rybnitsa-Tiraspol road were found and protocols to this effect were signed, the official Chisinau does not agree to consider the given solutions fully implemented as they represent major progress, but not complete resolution so that the issues could be removed from the agenda. “The signed decisions do not cover all the problems faced by the schools. We have yet to work to see how the free movement mechanism in the case of schools works and to return to the situation of school buildings,” stated the official.
As to the accusations that the apostilization of diplomats or the access of Transnistrian vehicles to international traffic would affect Moldova’s sovereignty, Cristina Lesnic said about 90% of the applicants are persons with Moldovan nationality.
In particular, as of September 10 and until the end of November, 1,382 vehicles from Transnistria received neutral-design license plates and can participate in international traffic. In the period, there were changed 1,300 Transnistrian driver’s licenses. “The citizens of the Republic of Moldova who live on the left side of the Nistru are brought to legality,” said the official.
