Allegations on Germany’s federalization solution for Moldova rejected
After the three-day-long talks held in Germany’s Rottach-Egern on the Transnistrian conflict, the Moldovan officials returned home quite satisfied by the results achieved.
“It was a very good conference. We have made some summation regarding the activity developed and [we concluded that] many features changed. They have been registered since the “5+2” talks have been resumed,” said in an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Eugen Carpov, Deputy Prime Minister in charge with of Moldova’s territorial integrity.
According to him, the involvement of the international partners was very important. He referred to both “5+2” negotiators and those who are not part of the talks, but help dealing with the conflict management in Transnistria.
“We could come up with some joint decisions. The negotiators emphasized that we have to finish the work to resume traffic on the bridge over Bic River. Moldovan side proposed to examine the possibility to open some points for passenger trains which travel to Russia via Bender and Tiraspol. We will also do some research on the economic features for such decisions,” the Moldovan official explained.
Mr. Carpov said that no political issues have been debated. The main talks were focused on the relations between Chisinau and Tiraspol.
“During the conference we have concentrated only on the direct dialogue between Chisinau and Tiraspol and the activity of the working groups,” the official said.
Prior to the conference unofficial sources stated that Germany would come up with a federalization solution for the Transnistrian conflict, fact unwanted by the Moldovan side. The Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister for territorial integration said he does not acknowledge such allegations.
“No political issues have been discussed. There didn’t take place any talks with the German officials on the topic about which I do not know anything and cannot approve such statements,” Mr. Carpov said.
Former EU envoy to Moldova Kalman Mizsei previously told Moldova.ORG that Germany’s involvement in the case is a positive thing.
“Given the weight of Germany in the eyes of the Russians within Europe, this is positive. It is important that the German efforts remain embedded in the European foreign policy framework and I feel that this is the case,” Mr. Mizsei said in an interview. According to him, a stronger international involvement in the issue would have “deeper roots and would be healthier.”
The Transnistrian conflict settlement is made within the “5+2” format. It includes representatives of the sides, mediators and observers in the negotiation process - Moldova, Transnistria, Russia, Ukraine and the OSCE (as mediators), and the US and the EU (as observers).
Transnistria is an internationally unrecognized entity proclaimed in Tiraspol on September 2, 1990, initially styled the Moldavian Transnistrian Soviet Socialist Republic. Currently known as the Moldavian Transnistrian Republic, this breakaway entity consists of a narrow strip of land (180 km by 32 km) nestled between the east bank of the Nistru River and the border of Moldova with Ukraine, on a small part of what used to be, between 1924 and 1940, the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.
In 1992 escalated a conflict between Moldova and Russia over this territory. A cease-fire was signed the same year by president of Russia Boris Yeltsin and president of Moldova Mircea Snegur. An agreement to withdraw all Russian forces from the trans-Nistrian districts of the Republic of Moldova was signed by Moldovan Prime Minister Andrei Sangheli and Russian Prime Minister Victor Chernomyrdin in 1994. It stipulated that the 14th Army was to leave the Republic of Moldova within three years, but the agreement was never ratified by the Duma, Russia’s legislature.
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