President optimistic about his confidence-building initiatives

All the parties involved in the Transnistria settlement talks endorse the presidential initiatives to strengthen confidence and security on both sides of the Nistru, and this gives hope that the talks can produce the desired result: a final solution for the conflict, President Vladimir Voronin stated at a televised programme. He informed that the initiatives were discussed during the recent meeting in three-plus-two format and that the Transnistrian negotiators are expected to give their assessment at a meeting in November. Voronin stressed that his proposal would help the people on the left bank of the Nistru escape the “ghetto” they have been living in for 16 years. The head of state went on to add that the Transnistria issue has a solution, since the divergence between the parties is not as big as in the case of other conflicts in the region. In his words, the so called Tiraspol leaders are not interested in keeping the situation as it is any longer, because after the launch of the Border Assistance Mission, they cannot continue doing illegal business. During the same TV show, the head of state highlighted the important role that Russia is playing in the Transnistria settlement, mentioning that the Moldova-Russia relationship have warmed up lately, reopening the subject for discussion.