Russia is in favor of resuming talks in 5+2 format, Victor Osipov

The Russian Federation supports Moldova in its efforts to resume the talks in the 5+2 format, Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration Victor Osipov, who is in Moscow on a working visit, told Info-Prim Neo over the phone. “Russia backs the basic settlement principles – the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Moldova – and we appreciate its support. It is also in favor of continuing implementing the confidence building measures and the steps designed to create conditions for politically resolving the dispute,” Victor Osipov said. According to him, at this stage it is too early to speak about a formula for solving the conflict. It will be worked out during the negotiation process. That's why the resumption of the talks is the major objective. “The fact that the Russian authorities expressed readiness to support the steps taken by the new Moldovan administration for solving the dispute is the main accomplishment of the visit,” Osipov said. “I had a very interesting discussion with Sergey Vinocurov, the head of the Foreign Relations Division of the Russian administration. It centered not only on the Transnistrian conflict, but also on the internal political situation in Moldova and the methods of overcoming the political crisis. The Russian official was very interested to learn about the internal situation in our county,” Osipov said. While in Moscow, the Deputy Prime Minister had meetings with the deputy secretary of the Russian Security Council Yuri Zubakov, the former Ambassador in Chisinau, and Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin. “The Russian officials agreed that the talks in the 5+2 format should be resumed. This year, we could have the first official meeting in the given format,” he sad. “Though Ukraine is an important strategic partner, we will meet with officials of this country after the new government constitutes all its bodies. The official in charge of the Transnistrian issue Victor Crajanovskii will pay a visit to Chisinau soon.”