OSCE sees progress in Moldova/Transnistria "frozen conflict" resolution

The OSCE's office in Tiraspol, the capital of unrecognized Transdniestria, mediates in one of Europe's oldest "frozen conflicts"

CHISINAU (Tiraspol Times) - Commenting on the landmark talks which started between Moldova and Transdniestria on Friday, a high ranking official with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe expressed satisfaction that this could lead to a solution in one of the continent's longest running "frozen conflicts."

The Head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova, Ambassador Philip Remler, welcomed the resumption of direct dialogue between Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin and Transdniestrian President Igor Smirnov.

" - This meeting was a first step that can pave the way to resumption of the settlement negotiations in the 5+2 format as well as to the establishment of working groups on confidence building measures", Chisinau news agency Infotag reported Ambassador Remler said. He publicly applauded the two leaders for the political will which they have demonstrated.

With both sides being together for less than fifty years in the now-defunct Soviet Union, Russian-speaking Transdniestria (officially: Pridnestrovie) declared independence in 1990. One year later, in 1991, Romania-speaking Moldova unilaterally declared its own independence from the Soviet Union as well.

American diplomat Philip Remler, head of the OSCE offices in both Chisinau and Tiraspol, expressed satisfaction after the Presidents of Moldova and Transdniestria sat down together for the first time in almost seven years.

Despite initially having renounced the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact which had brought Moldova and Transdniestria together in the Soviet Union under Stalin, Moldova later changed its mind and put forward a territorial claim on Transdniestria. In 1992, Moldovan troops crossed the Dniester river and entered Transdniestria in order to enforce the territorial claim.

In the ensuing conflict, an estimated one thousand people died before a ceasefire was negotiated in mid-1992 and peacekeepers stationed on the border. The ceasefire agreement is still in place, but Transdniestria President Igor Smirnov wants to replace it with a Friendship and Co-operation Treaty which, if signed, would formally end the war some sixteen years after it broke out.

Need to restart peace talks

Philip Remler, an American, has a long career with the U.S. State Department. As current Head of Mission he succeeds a long list of American diplomats who have headed the two regional OSCE offices, one in Chisinau (Moldova) and one in Tiraspol (PMR). Since the OSCE became active in the region following the end of the 1992 war between the sides, Washington has monopolized the mission and no diplomats from any other country except the United States have ever held the post. The OSCE has 56 member countries.

Vladimir Voronin and Igor Smirnov agreed on the need to restart presidential peace talks, which broke down in 2001. A series of stop-gap talks were held for five more years little success until Moldova abandoned the negotiations on 28 February 2006. No date has been set for the resumption of formal peace talks, but a new meeting is taking place on Monday in nearby Odessa (Ukraine) between officials from both Foreign Ministries.

Underscoring their willingness in seeking cordial relations, the two presidents publicly agreed on confidence-building measures to build trust and security, the BBC reported. They met in Bender, which is the second largest city of Transdniester. Also known under names such as Transnistria and Trans-Dniester, Transdniestria currently meets the requirements for statehood under international law but has not yet been recognized diplomatically due to the unresolved territorial claim by Moldova.

Transdniestria hopes that the talks will be an initial step towards a conflict resolution which leads to international recognition of its independence. (With information from BBC, Infotag)

See also:
» Transnistria to Moldova: “We just want to be friends…!”
» OSCE cheers Transdniester compromises; now wants more
» Smirnov: "Let's work together with Moldova to solve common problems"