Transnistrian conflict to be solved through dialog
Moldovan Prime Minister Vlad Filat told a news conference today that the issue of Russian troops' withdrawal from Moldova's rebel Dniester region (aka Transnistria) and of replacing the current peacekeeping mission in the region with an international mission of civil observers "can be settled only through dialogue and on the basis of consensus".
He described as "speculation" reports by some media that, while in Brussels this week, he allegedly stated categorically that the Russian troops must be pulled out of the Dniester region now.
"Moldova's new government has indeed set this objective. But this is not a task of today. We realize the problem can be solved only through dialogue and only upon agreement of all sides concerned," Filat said.
For his part, the deputy prime minister, foreign and European integration minister, Iurie Leanca, told journalists that the Dniester problem has been on the political agenda for over a decade.
"This is the government's medium-term and maybe even long-term task. We must discuss it thoroughly and resolve it step by step," Leanca said.
He confirmed that before the forthcoming CIS summit in Chisinau, he would meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to discuss the entire package of issues concerning bilateral relations, including the situation in the Dniester region and the withdrawal of troops.
We have what to discuss. But we should also touch upon these aspects, including in the framework of the December meeting of the OSCE Council of Ministers, Leanca said.
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