OSCE Chairperson meets Moldovan government, Transdniestrian leadership, praises constructive efforts towards settlement process

CHISINAU, 1 April 2010 - The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Kazakhstan's Secretary of State and Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabayev, in meetings with the Moldovan government in Chisinau and the Transdniestrian leadership in Tiraspol today, urged the sides to continue their dialogue and work towards renewing official talks on a comprehensive political solution to the Transdniestrian conflict .

"Kazakhstan's 2010 OSCE Chairmanship is committed to building on the efforts of previous Chairmanships to address protracted conflicts in the OSCE area. We have seen positive developments in the Transdniestrian settlement process in recent months, including the consistent promotion of direct contacts and the resumption of the Expert Working Groups on Confidence-Building Measures," said Saudabayev.

"My meetings here have been encouraging and productive, and I urged the sides to continue their constructive dialogue. The 5+2 will meet in Astana in May on my invitation, and I am confident that we will be able to further build on the positive dynamic developed through the efforts of all involved in the process for the benefit of ordinary people."

The "5+2" Transdniestria settlement process includes representatives of the Sides, Mediators - the Russian Federation, Ukraine and the OSCE - and Observers - the United States and the European Union.

In Chisinau, Saudabayev met Acting President and Parliamentary Speaker Mihai Ghimpu, Prime Minister Vlad Filat, Deputy Prime Minister Victor Osipov, the Moldovan chief negotiator for Transdniestrian conflict resolution, and Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Iurie Leanca. He also met representatives of the opposition Party of Communists.In Tiraspol, he met Transdniestrian leader Igor Smirnov.

In his meeting with Leanca, Saudabayev extended to his counterpart an invitation to the informal Ministerial Meeting in Almaty in July.

The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office praised the constructive role played by the OSCE Mission to Moldova in the Transdniestrian settlement process. He emphasized that the OSCE, through the Mission and its Institutions, including the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, remained an important resource at the disposal of the country to support its democratic development.