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Transdniestria's government has prepared a draft for a Friendship and Co-operation Treaty with its larger neighbor, Moldova

ODESSA (Tiraspol Times) - A second meeting in the ongoing rapprochement talks between Moldova and its 'de facto' independent neighbor, Transdniestria, is taking place in Odessa (Ukraine) this Monday.

Official delegations from Moldova and Transdniestria have arrived in Odessa for their 14 April 2008 meeting, coming just three days after Presidents Vladimir Voronin (Moldova) and Igor Smirnov (Transdniestria) met in Bender, on Transdniestrian territory.

The two delegations participating in Monday's Odessa round are led by Moldovan cabinet minister Vasile Sova and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Pridnestrovskaia Moldavskaia Respublica (PMR), Valeri Litskai.

Tiraspol seeking friendship and co-operation

On Friday, the two Presidents agreed to convene a working group to build trust and discuss security, disarmament and common projects.

Moldova's lead negotiator Vasile Sova broke off the last round of talks on 28 Feb. '06. As a result, it took more than two years before negotiations could be restarted.

Tiraspol announced that it will discuss its draft of the Friendship and Co-operation Treaty between Moldova and Transdniestria. Working groups are also going to propose concrete projects in the spheres of infrastructure development, road construction, security and disarmament, in social, cultural and humanitarian issues.

Sova and Litskai were put in charge of preparing this meeting as the heads of the working expert groups and of the conflicting sides' delegations to the so-called "5+2" negotiations.

Transdniestrian Minister of Foreign Affairs Valeri Litskai stated to journalists after Friday's meeting, "It's early yet to speak of negotiation restarting... It's good that the meeting took place as such. We have agreed upon holding analogous meetings in the future, for we really have things to do."

Moldova still claims sovereignty over Transdniestria. The new and emerging country is not yet recognized internationally as independent, but receives aid and frequent government visits from both the USA and Russia.

See also:
» Transdniestria wants friendship and cooperation treaty with Moldova [1]
» Presidents of Moldova, Transdniestria meet for talks in Transdniestria [2]
» Transnistria to Moldova: “We just want to be friends…!” [3]