Parliament to set up commission for communication with Transnistrian Supreme Soviet

A parliamentary commission will be created to communicate with the Supreme Soviet of Tiraspol, Speaker Marian Lupu announced after the April 6 sitting of the legislature that centered on the prospects of settling the Transnistrian conflict, Info-Prim Neo reports. “The legislative body must support the communication between the two sides of the Nistru. This communication must develop at all the levels possible – administration, civil society, the business sector,” said Marian Lupu. The decision on the creation of the commission will be adopted next week, while the numeric composition will be agreed in the near future. This communication will be supported by the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Jean-Claude Mignon with whom an agreement to this effect was reached. The deputy head of the Liberal Party Corina Fusu said this cooperation will help clarify certain situations, but setting up the commission does not mean that the Transnistrian legislature is recognized. She also said that she found out details about the Transnistrian conflict settlement strategy in today’s sitting. “It is strange why we, the lawmakers, do not know this strategy. I suggested that the group working on the strategy should include MPs,” stated Corina Fusu. The chairman of the Liberal-Democratic parliamentary group Valeriu Strelet said that certain progress was made in the conflict settlement process. “If we want to contribute to resolving this dispute, besides encouraging the parliamentary dialogue with the so-called Supreme Soviet, we should also give an example of cohesion and involvement by adopting the legislative program on Moldova’s European integration course without delay,” he said. Unaffiliated MP Mihai Godea said that he found out nothing new at the sitting. “The most important thing I found out is that the Government of Moldova does not have a clear view on how the settlement process should be managed. They insist on the same format and the same manner in discussions,” he stressed. The April 6 sitting of the Parliament was held behind closed doors. Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration Eugen Carpov presented a report on the current state and the prospects of resolving the Transnistrian dispute. The sitting lasted for over three hours.