OSCE Special Representative for Transdniestrian settlement process visits region ahead of official 5+2 talks

CHISINAU, 30 January 2014 – The Special Representative of the Swiss OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the Transdniestrian settlement process, Ambassador Radojko Bogojević, today concluded a four-day visit to the region, which included meetings with the political leadership in Chisinau and Tiraspol.

This was the first visit by Bogojević to the region in his role as Special Representative. He took up the position this January and will hold it throughout the consecutive Swiss and Serbian Chairmanships in 2014-2015.

In Chisinau, Bogojević met Moldovan President Nicolae Timofti, Prime Minister Iurie Leanca, Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration and Chief Negotiator Eugen Carpov, Deputy Foreign Minister Valeriu Chiveri and Speaker of the Parliament Igor Corman. In Tiraspol, Bogojević met Transdniestrian leader Yevgeniy Shevchuk, Chief Negotiator Nina Shtanski and the Speaker of the Supreme Soviet Mikhail Burla.

“Preparations for the next round of the 5+2 talks on the Transdniestrian settlement process to take place on 27 and 28 February in Vienna were the key topic of our discussions, and I was encouraged by the constructive attitude of the sides and their focus on achieving practical results and alleviating problems people face in their daily lives,” Bogojević said.

He stressed that the Transdniestrian settlement is high on the agenda of the consecutive Swiss-Serbian Chairmanships of the OSCE in 2014-2015: “We are strongly determined to work on the basis of what was done by our predecessors, to facilitate achieving a comprehensive, just and viable resolution of the conflict, and help build confidence between people on both banks of the Dniester/Nistru River.”

In Chisinau, Bogojević met with the principals of the Latin-script schools from Transdniestria, representatives of civil society and the diplomatic community, researchers and journalists from both banks of the river. The delegation also visited a local school in Transdniestria.

The 5+2 format includes representatives of the sides, mediators and observers in the negotiations – Moldova, Transdniestria, the OSCE, the Russian Federation, Ukraine, the US and the EU.