First official 5+2 talks after renewal lay ground for further progress on Transdniestrian settlement, says OSCE Chairperson

VILNIUS, 1 December 2011 – The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Audronius Ažubalis, said that the renewed official 5+2 negotiations on the Transdniestrian settlement, which concluded in Vilnius today, laid solid ground for the future work on promoting the conflict resolution.

“The discussion of principles and procedures for the conduct of the negotiations, which took place in a constructive atmosphere, is a stepping stone to achieving further tangible progress on the Transdniestrian settlement,” said Ažubalis.

“Maintaining the positive momentum and continuing regular official meetings is essential now to advance the comprehensive resolution of the conflict – the goal that we all share,” he said. Ažubalis emphasized that registering progress in addressing protracted conflicts has been a priority of the Lithuanian OSCE Chairmanship in 2011.

The two-day meeting brought together representatives of the sides, mediators and observers in the negotiations – Moldova, Transdniestria, the OSCE, the Russian Federation, Ukraine, the US and the EU. It was chaired by the Special Representative of the Lithuanian Chairperson-in-Office of OSCE for protracted conflicts, Ambassador Giedrius Čekuolis.

The participants agreed that the next official meeting in the 5+2 format – officially, “The Permanent Conference on Political Issues in the Framework of the Negotiating Process for Transdniestrian Settlement” – will take place in February, 2012 in Ireland.

A decision to resume the official 5+2 negotiations was taken in Moscow on 22 September, 2011, following a nearly six-year hiatus. The Vilnius meeting was the first round of the renewed official talks.