Greek OSCE Chairmanship, OSCE Mission to Moldova conduct seminar on confidence- and security-building measures

MAUERBACH, Austria, 22 June 2009 - The Greek OSCE Chairmanship and the OSCE Mission to Moldova held a seminar on Confidence- and Security-Building Measures in Moldova on 21-22 June in Mauerbach, Austria, with the participation of experts and political representatives to the 5+2 process for resolution of the Transdniestrian conflict, from Moldova, Transdniestria, the OSCE, Russia, Ukraine, the EU and the USA. The 5+2 representatives held discussions on the margins of the seminar.

The seminar discussed a package of Confidence- and Security-Building Measures elaborated by the OSCE in consultation with Russian and Ukrainian experts and presented to the sides originally in 2005. The participants engaged in a productive and useful dialogue on the package and mutual understanding was reached on a number of issues. The participants called for a systematized continuation of that dialogue and underlined the important role of the OSCE in this respect.

The 5+2 participants discussed next steps in the negotiation process on a comprehensive settlement of the Transdniestrian conflict. They discussed future meetings, including direct meetings between the political representatives of the parties to the conflict to resolve a series of outstanding issues and the earliest renewal of the 5+2 settlement process; and called for the resumption of the operations of expert working groups on confidence-building measures.