Smirnov questions Moldovan authorities' sincerity, OSCE ambassador

The leader of the Transnistrian region Igor Smirnov questions the sincerity of the Moldovan authorities who say they are ready to talk, the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office for protracted conflicts, Kazakh Ambassador Bolat Nurgaliyev said after a meeting that he held with Smirnov during his three-day visit to Moldova, Info-Prim Neo reports. According to Nurgaliyev, Smirnov's distrust derives from the past relations between Chisinau and Tiraspol, when none of the sides wanted to take steps. “We consider the present relations should not be based on the past. We praise the sides for readiness to dialogue, but while the politicians are reaching maturity, the greatest attention should be paid to the people living in this region,” the ambassador said during a news conference on February 3. Bolat Nurgaliyev said he looked forward to an informal “5+2” meeting in Vienna on March 1-2 that could give a new impetus to the Transistrian conflict sttelemnt process. He also said the time is now opportune to hold an international summit of heads of state and government to discuss the regional conflicts. Thus, an OSCE summit could take place in the Kazakh capital of Astana this year, more than ten years after the Istanbul summit of 1999.