Russia continues to make political and diplomatic efforts to maintain the format of the 5+2 talks on the Transnistrian settlement. This was announced on February 23 by Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin.
The diplomat stated that the situation on the Transdniestrian settlement is not simple now.
“Russia, as a guarantor and mediator, is making political and diplomatic efforts to preserve the 5 + 2 format as a non-alternative negotiating mechanism,” Galuzin quotes TASS.
According to the Deputy Foreign Minister, the main thing now is to prevent further degradation of the dialogue between Chisinau and Tiraspol.
The last round of negotiations in the 5+2 format (Pridnestrovie, Moldova, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Russia and Ukraine, the United States and the European Union) took place in October 2019 in Bratislava, but its participants failed to sign the final document. The negotiation process stalled after the election of Maia Sandu as President of Moldova, who immediately made several harsh statements against Tiraspol.
Earlier on February 23, the press service of the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that the Ukrainian authorities were preparing a provocation against Transnistria. According to the agency, it is intended to be carried out by units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) and militants of the nationalist formation “Azov” (in the Russian Federation it is recognized as a terrorist organization and banned).
The department noted that Russia is closely monitoring the situation on the border of Ukraine with the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic and is ready to respond to any changes in the situation.
The new Prime Minister of Moldova, Dorin Recean, said on February 16 that he was going to seek the “demilitarization of Transnistria” and the withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers from the territory of the republic. He stressed that Chisinau is “intent on a peaceful resolution” of the Transnistrian issue.
On the same day, the Moldovan parliament approved the program and composition of the government of Rechan, who was nominated for the post of prime minister by the country’s president, Maia Sandu. 62 deputies voted for.
Foreign Minister of Transnistria Vitaly Ignatiev called counterproductive the idea of the new Prime Minister of Moldova to withdraw Russian peacekeepers. He stated that Pridnestrovie is ready for dialogue with Moldova at any level.
Russian peacekeepers were brought into the combat zone on July 29, 1992 in accordance with the Agreement on the Principles of the Peaceful Settlement of the Armed Conflict in Transnistria. The document was signed on July 21, 1992 by the presidents of Russia and Moldova in the presence of the leader of the unrecognized republic.
