Substantial progress in Transdniestrian settlement talks in Vienna, clear commitment to solve remaining issues, says OSCE Special Representative

VIENNA, 28 November 2017 - At a meeting of the 5+2 talks on the Transdniestrian Settlement Process in Vienna, political representatives from Chisinau and Tiraspol confirmed progress on several of the eight issues previously identified by the Sides, and made a commitment to finalize the remaining issues at the beginning of next year.

“The Sides, together with international partners, further solidified the agreements on several social and economic issues signed in recent days. There is a clear understanding among the participants that the remaining issues will be addressed and swiftly implemented, for the benefit of the population on both banks of the river and the region as a whole,” commended Ambassador Wolf Dietrich Heim, Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the Transdniestrian Settlement Process. “In particular, the international partners welcomed the commitment by the Sides to solve by February 2018, the remaining details concerning the participation of Transdniestrian vehicles in international traffic.”

As a result of the talks, also known as the Permanent Conference for Political Questions in the Framework of the Negotiating Process on the Transdniestrian Settlement in the 5+2 Format, the Sides signed a protocol that outlined the recent significant agreements on the ground and made reference for next steps in the negotiations. The “Vienna Protocol” is available in Russian (www.osce.org/ru/chairmanship/359201) and in English (www.osce.org/chairmanship/359196).

“This year highlighted the importance and inter-relationship of the three levels of negotiations on the Transdniestrian Settlement Process as they build on each other, from the technical expertise of the Working Groups, the direct political dialogue of the decision-makers, and the joint efforts of the Mediators and Observers in the 5+2 format. The holding this year of a 5+2 meeting on the basis of clear outputs and a focus on substantive issues was critical factor ensuring its success,” Heim concluded.

Ambassador Michael Scanlan, Head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova, said: “Today’s successful 5+2 meeting is the by-product of a year of dedicated work on the part of the Working Groups and the Chief Negotiators supported by the Mission. The output-based dynamic is a clear outflow of the personal involvement of the last two months by the leaders of both Sides that was highlighted by their meeting on the Gura Bicului-Bychok Bridge to mark its opening after 25 years. Both leaders shared with the press their commitment to ensure that progress on the Settlement Process continues”.

Talks in the 5+2 format include the participation of representatives of the Sides, Mediators and Observers – Moldova, Transdniestria, the OSCE, the Russian Federation, Ukraine, as well as the United States and the European Union.