Confidence building between Transdniestria and Moldova discussed at OSCE conference in Germany

FREISING, Germany, 11 June 2014 – A two-day conference on strengthening confidence-building measures between Transdniestria and Moldova concluded today in Freising in southern Germany. The conference is organized by the OSCE Mission to Moldova with the support of the German government.

Delegations led by Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister and Chief Negotiator Eugen Carpov and Transdniestrian Chief Negotiator Nina Shtanski, as well as representatives of expert working groups dealing with practical issues on the ground in the region took part in the conference, as well as representatives of Ukraine, Russia, EU and the US - mediators and observers in the 5+2 negotiations on Transdniestrian settlement, representatives of the German Government and international experts.

“It is a good sign that all the participants of the negotiating format, despite the tense political situation in the region, are committed to discussing in a constructive way the daily problems people on both banks of the Dniester/Nistru River are facing,” said Ambassador Radojko Bogojević, Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the Transdniestrian Settlement Process. “I have also encouraged the chief negotiators to meet more often before the next round of talks and discuss these issues,” he said, stressing the OSCE’s readiness to facilitate such meetings.

Among the outstanding issues that the expert working groups discussed were those related to economy, trade and infrastructure; freedom of movement; ecology and environment; and education. The expert working groups were created in 2008; they are composed of experts from Moldova and Transdniestria, with the OSCE acting as mediator.

“I encourage an exchange of views to find practical solutions to solving the existing problems and am confident that this will translate into practical results for people living throughout the region,” said Ambassador Jennifer Brush, Head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova.

The conference follows the second round this year of the 5+2 talks that ended in Vienna on 6 June. The next round of the 5+2 talks will take place in Vienna on 17-18 July.