OSCE Mission to Moldova welcomes start of “licence plate” agreement implementation by the Sides

CHISINAU/TIRASPOL, 1 September 2018 – Two Vehicle Registration Offices were opened in the left-bank cities of Tiraspol and Ribnita today by the Chief Negotiators in the Transdniestrian Settlement Process, from Moldova and Transdniestria, respectively. This event marks the beginning of the implementation of the so-called “licence plate” agreement signed by the Sides on 24 April 2018 to establish a mechanism for allowing for access of vehicles from Transdniestria to international road traffic.

The opening is the result of the joint efforts and resources dedicated by the Sides to set up and make the Vehicle Registration Offices operational by the 1 September deadline agreed upon by the Sides in the 30 May 5+2 Rome Protocol. Staffed by 30 officials from Moldova and Transdniestria, the Vehicle Registration Offices will issue internationally recognized Moldovan neutral-design licence plates to vehicles from Transdniestria to allow for their participation in international traffic. 

“I commend the Sides for their continuous local ownership and leadership. Their close collaboration to address technical and practical issues together was the key to meeting this ambitious deadline of 1 September,” Acting Head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova Lajos Karakas said following the opening ceremony. “This agreement and other agreements signed and implemented by the Sides contribute to reaching the end state of the settlement process endorsed by all 57 OSCE participating States, as they affirm rights that need to exist throughout a reintegrated Moldova and reflect the essence of a special status for Transdniestria within Moldova.”

The Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the Transdniestrian Settlement Process, Franco Frattini, will visit the Vehicle Registration Office in Tiraspol on 10 September to hand over the first neutral-design licence plates.

The “licence plate” agreement is the fifth of the “package of eight” to have been signed and implemented by the Sides since the end of 2017. This approach affirms the new norm of the negotiation process, where the Sides reach agreements with structured timelines and mechanisms that guide the ensuing implementation. 

In addition to this agreement, on 1 August Moldovan farmers regained access to their farmlands in the Dubasari district for the first time since 2014. This year the Sides have also ensured the functioning of Latin-script schools on the left bank, initiated the apostilization of Transdniestrian university diplomas and opened the Gura Bicului – Bychok bridge. 

Currently, Chisinau and Tiraspol are in the process of finalizing the steps to implement the agreement on the reintegration of telecommunication networks between the two banks. 

With the resolution of the issues related to the freedom of movement, criminal cases and the implementation of the telecommunication agreement, the Sides will have met their commitment, documented in the 30 May 5+2 Rome Protocol, to have fully finalized the “package of eight” by the end of 2018.