Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration Alexandru Flenchea contradicts Tiraspol’s chief negotiator to the Transnistrian settlement process Vitaly Ignatiev as to the fact that the negotiations between the sides practically reached a deadlock. According to him, it is not an impasse, but different dynamics as regards the number of meetings in different formats. Moreover, the official denies having refused to attend the meeting in the 1+1 format planned for December 23, saying he is actually the one who initiated this meeting, as that of December 16.
Alexandru Flenchea has told IPN that fewer meetings in different formats were held his year, except for that in the 5+2 format that was convened only once, as the previous years. Fewer meetings were held within the working groups and in the 1+1 format and this happened for evident reasons. During half a year, there was no functional government and two governments were changed later.
As to the meeting in the 1+1 format scheduled for December 23, Alexandru Flenchea said that Vitaly Ignatiev, two days earlier, transmitted the same agenda of discussions as that of the December 16 meeting to him. In such conditions, Alexandru Flenchea proposed putting off the meeting. Last week, he proposed to Ignatiev to have a meeting in Tiraspol after January 13, but received no conformation yet.
As regards the protocol that hasn’t been signed after the round of talks in the 5+2 format held in Bratislava in October, the official said that under the document of 2012 concerning the principles and procedures of the negotiation process, if the round does not end with a signed document, the OSCE Chairmanship-in-Office compiles a summary and distributes it to the participants in the format. It happened so this time – the summary of discussions was sent to the sides.
Alexandru Flenchea also said that this is not the first round that ends without the signing of a protocol. After a pause of almost six years, when no official meetings in the 5+2 format were held, these were resumed at the end of 2011. Even if several rounds of talks in the 5+2 format took place, a protocol was signed only in 2016, in Berlin. The rounds of 2017 and 2018, of Vienna and Rome, also ended with protocols. The result that would have an impact on the people and the communities in the Security Zone is ultimately not generated by these documents – protocols. The impact is caused by the implemented decisions and effort is being made in this regard. The future agenda of the settlement process is also planned to be consistent.
