Chair of Moldova working group pushes for ownership and concrete results in Transdniestrian settlement process

CHISINAU, 22 March 2017 – The Chair of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Team on Moldova, Arta Dade (MP, Albania), today concluded a three-day visit to Chisinau and Tiraspol, encouraging the sides to follow through on their commitments and produce concrete results in the Transdniestrian settlement process.

In Chisinau, Dade met with President Igor Dodon, Speaker Andrian Candu, Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration Gheorghe Balan, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Daniela Morari, and the Delegation of Moldova to the OSCE PA led by Serghei Sirbu. In Tiraspol, she held talks with the Chairman of the Transdniestrian legislature, Alexander Shcherba, and Chief Negotiator Vitaly Ignatiev.

“I believe all the elements are in place to achieve real results in the settlement process, and, ultimately, what is missing is action,” said Arta Dade. “Reform and progress require that politicians look beyond short-term, political benefits and focus on the benefits to society writ large. I welcome my parliamentary colleagues’ intention to become more closely involved in supporting the negotiations.”

Throughout the visit, Dade encouraged interlocutors to take greater ownership of the settlement process to live up to commitments contained in the Berlin Protocol of June 2016 and the OSCE Ministerial Statement on Transdniestria adopted last December in Hamburg. Pointing out that parliamentarians are sometimes more able than governments to reach difficult political compromises, she invited Chairman Shcherba to consider an invitation from Speaker Candu to meet in person and build a relationship of trust.

The visit took place some six weeks after the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz, travelled to Moldova to underscore the priority the Austrian Chairmanship of the OSCE places on promoting output-based dialogue in the Transdniestrian settlement process.

“Since my last visit in this capacity in June 2016, and despite the united support of the international partners for output from the sides, we have seen very little movement in the practical areas that would improve the living conditions of the people on both banks of the Dniester/Nistru River,” Dade said. “The sides must now demonstrate their political will and break the current status quo, which remains an obstacle to achieving concrete results and ensuring prosperity and stability for all.”

The Parliamentary Team on Moldova was established in early 2000. The Team’s mandate calls on it to promote peace, stability and the rule of law in Moldova, while affirming the unity of the State, by engaging in and promoting dialogue between parties and organizations representing different sections of the Moldovan population. Assisting the Transdniestrian settlement process is a particular priority of the Parliamentary Team, which includes parliamentarians from Albania, France, Georgia, Italy, Norway, and the United Kingdom.

The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly worked closely with the Parliament of Moldova and the OSCE Mission to Moldova on the visit.

Photos of the visit are available here.