OSCE Chairman welcomes Ukrainian President's initiative to balance and energize the Transdniestrian settlement process

KYIV, 19 October 2005 - The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, today encouraged Ukraine to continue its active engagement in the process of resolving the Transdniestrian issue in neighbouring Moldova.

"I appreciate the personal role and interest you have taken in the Transdniestrian settlement process", he said during his meeting with Ukraine's President, Viktor Yushchenko.

"Your plan for a settlement, as well as other recent developments, have given new impetus to the negotiations which were stalled for a considerable period of time."

Minister Rupel said that he expected the negotiations in the expanded "5+2" format, which are to re-start at the end of this month, to reinvigorate the dynamics of the entire process. He also voiced hope that some progress could be made before the OSCE Ministerial Council in Ljubljana on 5 and 6 December.

The Chairman-in-Office repeated his position on the upcoming elections in Transdniestria, saying that "it would be very hard for the Organization to observe or recognize them, as the current situation in this part of Moldova does not create a suitable environment for democratic elections."

"This, however, does not mean that the OSCE could not observe such elections at a later stage," he said.

During his visit, Minister Rupel also met the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Boris Tarasyuk, with whom he discussed the Transdniestrian elections and the resumption of negotiations about the frozen conflict in this region.

He said that he was convinced that the democratic ideals and expectations expressed during the "Orange Revolution" would be maintained.

"The OSCE sees the upcoming parliamentary elections in March 2006 as an opportunity for Ukraine's leadership to consolidate its commitment to democracy and the rule of law. The Organization stands ready to assist the Ukrainian Government in these efforts."

During his visit to the office of the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine, Minister Rupel met Ukrainian singer Ruslana, who introduced a campaign to raise awareness on the trafficking in human beings, which will soon be launched by the OSCE office. The Chairman-in-Office used the opportunity to stress the importance of an effective combat against human trafficking and urged greater European support to address this issue.