U.S. regrets 5+2 talks freeze

The United States regrets that the “5+2” talks, the internationally accepted mechanism to resolve the Transnistria separatist conflict in Moldova, will not take place on October 7 and 8 after Transnistrian authorities indicated they would not attend, the U.S. Embassy said in a press release on Saturday, Info-Prim Neo reports. The decision of the Moldovan government to participate in these talks reflects a forward-looking and cooperative approach, it was said. “We urge the mediators – particularly Russia – to encourage Transnistrian authorities to adopt a comparable approach. The United States remains committed to finding a solution to the Transnistria conflict that guarantees Moldova’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. We will work to bring about resumption of settlement talks involving all of the 5+2 parties at the earliest possible date”, the press release reads. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Ukraine, Russia, the European Union, and the United States, as the mediators and observers to the 5+2, agreed on September 8 to use all means to encourage Moldova and the Transnistrian authorities to attend talks, which would have been the first held under this format since spring 2006.