Vladimir Voronin reconfirms no federalization proposals will be made in settling Transnistrian conflict

In the negotiations concerning the Transnistrian regulation, there is no room for proposals on the federalization. The solution of the conflict will be based on the 2005 Law on the basic principles of Transnistria’s status, reconfirmed president Vladimir Voronin on Tuesday, March 18, at a news conference in Chisinau, Info-Prim Neo reports. The head of the state has said the Law on Transnistria’s status observes the norms of the international law and needs no modification. The documents presented to parties in the talks provide for larger powers for Transnistria than the republics from the Russian Federation have. In case during the consultations in the “5+2” format the Transnistrians propose additions accepted by all the sides, they will be promoted. Yet if they refuse to discuss on the basis of the package and ask for federalizing the country or dictate other conditions, the situation will return to the initial stage of '92. Asked to comment on the statements made by the Tiraspol leader, Igor Smirnov, who, after the meeting with Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, showed himself ready to resume the talks and to discuss directly with the Moldovan President, however only as an equal side, President Vladimir Voronin has abstained from yielding assessments invoking he was not officially informed on that meeting. “I can comment nothing, what was the subtext or what else they talked. We don’t have direct information, nor through the agency of the Moldovan embassy to Moscow. The notion “from equal to equal” is more serious and more complicated. What equality they talk about, we have to find out,” the President said. Vladimir Voronin has anticipated that most probably, first, the advisors will negotiate, and then he’ll be having bilateral meetings with Igor Smirnov. Referring to the relationships with Russia, implicitly in the context of the Transnistrian regulation, Vladimir Voronin has said, after the meeting on 21 January with Russian President Vladimir Putin, there take place actions every day with positive dynamics. The last week’s hearings in the State Duma, although failing to reach the results expected by the Chisinau authorities, have a positive impact. For the first time they stated in the Duma that Moldova needed to remain a unitary state, the President underlined. Asked if the request to recognize Moldova’s neutrality by important international actors, Russia including, automatically means the withdrawal of the Russian contingent from the country’s soil, Vladimir Voronin has answered this is thought so and now talks are being conducted in the respect of accepting the documents package. Referring to the visit of Russian premier Viktor Zubkov to Moldova, announced for April, Vladimir Voronin has stated this is an important event opening a new stage in the development of the commercial and economic relations with the Russian Federation. In another context, the President has said he hopes to have with Vladimir Putin’s successor, Dmitri Medvedev, the same good relationships, except for the moment when the Kozak Memorandum was proposed. Vladimir Voronin will take part in the inauguration of Medvedev, scheduled for May 7.