Dmitri Medvedev: “Good chances to solve the Transnistrian issue”

The Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev, says that, within the context of the events in South Ossetia, “there are, at this very moment, good chances and possibilities to solve the Transnistrian issue.” The Russian leader made the statement at Monday's meeting, on August 25, with the Moldovan president Vladimir Voronin. According to the press unit of president Voronin, Medvedev has underlined “the importance of formulating the way of approaching the ways to solve the Transnistrian conflict, including at the present meeting.” Vladimir Voronin has thanked his Russian counterpart in Sochi for the invitation to meet and to discuss the bilateral relations and the issues related to the Transnistrian conflict. Concerning the situation in South Ossetia, Vladimir Voronin has said they carefully watched the events from Georgia, in Moldova, taking into account the existence of a frozen conflict on the territory of our country. Voronin has remarked that during all the years of the Transnistrian conflict, the Moldovan authorities have displayed enough wisdom not admit a possible escalation of the situation. Vladimir Voronin has stressed the need to draw conclusions from the existent conflicts in the area and to identify, in a peaceful way, a sustainable solution for the Transnistrian issue. The statements for the media, issued by the two presidents, read that the Russian Federation is available to make efforts for the final solution of the Transnistrian crisis. The two sides have also reconfirmed their intent to continue the consultation on the issue. A series of meetings and talks with the participation of all the interested parties are expected soon. The head of the state has shared the opinion of his Russian counterpart about the positive dynamics seen in the development of the economic relations between Moldova and Russia, mentioning that last year the volume of the trade-economic exchanges between the two countries exceeded USD1 billion. In another context, Dmitry Medvedev has mentioned the cooperation between the two states has lately noticed a dynamic development, and the problems existing in the past in this respect have been overcome. Vladimir Voronin has shared the opinion of the Russian president as to the positive dynamics of the economic relations. Reuters reports about the reunion between Medvedev and Voronin: «The Russian president Dmitri Medvedev warned Moldova on Monday not to repeat Georgia's mistake of trying to use force to regain control over a breakaway area.»