Moldova Focus of OSCE CiO Meeting with Yevgeniy Primakov

VIENNA, 26 July 2000 - The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Austrian Foreign Minister Benita Ferrero-Waldner and Yevgeniy M. Primakov, Chairman of the Russian Federation State Commission on Transdniestria met today in Vienna. Discussions focused on the future status of Transdniestria as a part of the Republic of Moldova, on the withdrawal of Russian arms and forces from Transdniestria and on the possibility of a future OSCE peacekeeping force in the region.

The Chairperson-in-Office welcomed the formation of the Russian State Commission on the Transdniestrian problem and the appointment of Mr. Primakov to lead it as a signal of Russia's serious interest in a solution and decision to give high-level attention to the issue. As Russian Foreign Minister, Mr. Primakov made an important contribution toward the solution of the Transdniestrian conflict by bringing both sides together in Moscow in 1997 to sign the so-called Moscow Memorandum.

The OSCE has recently stepped up its efforts to find a peaceful solution to the Transdniestrian problem. During her 6-7 July trip to Moldova, including Transdniestria, the Chairperson-in-Office had a frank exchange of views with the leadership of Moldova and Transdniestria. On 17 July, the OSCE held a reinforced meeting of the Permanent Council dedicated to the decisions of the Istanbul Summit regarding Moldova, where delegations almost unanimously expressed deep concern at Transdniestria's increasing intransigence. At that meeting, the Russian Delegation officially submitted to the OSCE a timetable for the withdrawal of Russian troops and arms.

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