OSCE supports Moldova’s remaining within its internationally recognized borders

The stand of OSCE in the Transnistrian problem regulation is the existence of the R. of Moldova within the borders internationally recognized, declared on Monday, November 13, Betrand de Crombrugghe, the head of the Belgian mission of OSCE, after a visit to the R. of Moldova. The official mentioned that Transnistria should be part of the R. of Moldova, but it should be afforded autonomy. After OSCE ambassadors visited the Cobasna munitions depot, the cited source qualified it as a danger, because it is placed in a zone where once a conflict occurred, and the danger that munitions will be utilized persists. OSCE advised the Russian Federation to retire its munitions from this zone, declared Crombrugghe. The OSCE official also declared that proposals have been made about re-launching negotiations in “5+2” format, but also about the modification of the peacemaking mechanism. „There’s also need for Transnistria’s will”, he added. Belgian chairmanship of OSCE is ready to use all its efforts for resuming the negotiations and it is possible that, by the end of the year, the state of affairs will improve, the diplomat said. The ambassador asserts that the population from the left bank of the Nistru River would benefit and would have more opportunities if it integrates in the R. of Moldova. On the other hand, the Government from Chisinau should have a good policy, open to the population and the companies from the east region, and offer full rights to the population from the region. Crombrugghe also said that diplomats noticed the progress registered by the R. of Moldova over the last 2 years, but they are concerned at the insufficient guaranties of the supremacy of law. He thinks that the R. of Moldova needs assistance in the field of voters’ education, liberalization of mass-media, countering the traffic in human beings etc. Ambassadors appreciated this visit as an opportune one. It gave them the chance to get familiar with the situation in Moldova, shortly before the interdepartmental meeting of OSCE, and offered a fertile basis for attaining progress in the remaining period of the Belgian chairmanship. A group of more than 30 Heads of Delegations to the OSCE, including the Ambassadors of the Belgian OSCE Chairmanship, the Finnish European Union Presidency, the Russian Federation and the United States, visited the R. of Moldova, including the Transnistrian region.. The last visit of OSCE ambassadors took place in June 2004.