Moscow holds key to solving Transnistrian conflict, deputy reintegration minister

Moldova's security is threatened by the Transnistrian dispute maybe to the same extent as by the energy supply problem. The Transnistrian conflict is an obstacle to developing, modernizing and Europeanizing the country. In order to democratize it and implement reforms, this obstacle must be removed by solving the problem, the Deputy Minister of Reintegration Ion Stavila said during a meeting at the Ministry of Defense. Military and civilian experts and employees of a number of ministries gathered at the Ministry of Defense on Tuesday to discuss aspects of the Euro-Atlantic cooperation and Moldova's role in this process. The Transnistrian conflict was addressed in the regional security context. Reporting on this issue, Ion Stavila said that on the one hand the secessionist regime is to blame for the delay in solving the conflict as it adopted a non-cooperative and nonconstructive attitude in the negotiation process. On the other hand, Russia is to blame for its reserve and lack of real political will. “Moscow holds the key to solving the conflict,” he said. According to the deputy minister, the Moldovan authorities should not be blamed for the failure in the negotiation process as it depended on the political developments in the world, Russia's policy and the political situation in Moldova. “We did not manage to make progress a regards the pullout of the Russian troops from Moldova's territory. But this is not due to the fact that the Moldovan authorities inadequately tackled this issue within international organizations. The international community knows this problem and agrees that the solution to it is very simple, but can be identified if Russia takes concrete steps,” Stavila said.