Newsroom
OSCE Chairman-in-Office calls for settlement and easing of tension in Moldova
CHISINAU 22 June 2004
CHISINAU, 22 June 2004 - The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Solomon Passy, urged the Moldovan and Transdniestrian leadership to speed up negotiations to make real progress in the Transdniestrian settlement process.
In meetings with Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin, Foreign Minister Andrei Stratan and Transdniestrian leader Igor Smirnov during a visit to Moldova on 21 and 22 June, the Chairman-in-Office expressed his support for the mediators' document worked out last fall.
"We consider this document to be an acceptable compromise and a good basis for further work on a political settlement," Foreign Minister Passy said.
The Chairman-in-Office also expressed his concerns with regard to implementation of the OSCE Istanbul Summit decisions on the withdrawal of military forces.
Foreign Minister Passy called upon the Moldovan and Transdniestrian leadership to negotiate a reduction of their military forces and to increase confidence and stability. He presented to both sides a package of draft agreements on a balanced reduction of military forces as well as confidence-building and transparency measures, worked out earlier this month by the OSCE Mission to Moldova.
"We think that this package is an excellent basis for a reduction of the military confrontation between the two sides and a first step towards ultimate demilitarization," Minister Passy told journalists in Chisinau on Tuesday.
The Chairman-in-Office was satisfied to hear from both sides of the Dniestr river a willingness to accept an international border monitoring mission under the OSCE and agreed to support the working out of a concrete proposal to this end.
In his meeting with Transdniestrian leader Smirnov in Tiraspol on Tuesday, the Chairman-in-Office touched especially on the deterioration in relations between Chisinau and Tiraspol and the increased tension in the Security Zone along the Dniestr river.
"Unilateral, destabilizing measures have to be avoided. Disputes have to be resolved through discussions in the existing negotiating fora," the Minister told Smirnov.
President Voronin's proposal of a Stability and Security Pact for the Republic of Moldova was another main topic of Foreign Minister Passy's meetings in Chisinau on Monday.
The Chairman-in-Office also discussed the development of democracy, media freedom and human rights on both sides of the Dniestr river.
"We are ready to work with electoral and party officials here to ensure a smooth, democratic campaign and vote in the 2005 parliamentary elections and to assist Moldova in the area of media freedom", the Chairman-in-Office said.
On Monday, the Chairman-in-Office had an open exchange of views with representatives of non-governmental organizations and leaders of political parties.
In meetings with Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin, Foreign Minister Andrei Stratan and Transdniestrian leader Igor Smirnov during a visit to Moldova on 21 and 22 June, the Chairman-in-Office expressed his support for the mediators' document worked out last fall.
"We consider this document to be an acceptable compromise and a good basis for further work on a political settlement," Foreign Minister Passy said.
The Chairman-in-Office also expressed his concerns with regard to implementation of the OSCE Istanbul Summit decisions on the withdrawal of military forces.
Foreign Minister Passy called upon the Moldovan and Transdniestrian leadership to negotiate a reduction of their military forces and to increase confidence and stability. He presented to both sides a package of draft agreements on a balanced reduction of military forces as well as confidence-building and transparency measures, worked out earlier this month by the OSCE Mission to Moldova.
"We think that this package is an excellent basis for a reduction of the military confrontation between the two sides and a first step towards ultimate demilitarization," Minister Passy told journalists in Chisinau on Tuesday.
The Chairman-in-Office was satisfied to hear from both sides of the Dniestr river a willingness to accept an international border monitoring mission under the OSCE and agreed to support the working out of a concrete proposal to this end.
In his meeting with Transdniestrian leader Smirnov in Tiraspol on Tuesday, the Chairman-in-Office touched especially on the deterioration in relations between Chisinau and Tiraspol and the increased tension in the Security Zone along the Dniestr river.
"Unilateral, destabilizing measures have to be avoided. Disputes have to be resolved through discussions in the existing negotiating fora," the Minister told Smirnov.
President Voronin's proposal of a Stability and Security Pact for the Republic of Moldova was another main topic of Foreign Minister Passy's meetings in Chisinau on Monday.
The Chairman-in-Office also discussed the development of democracy, media freedom and human rights on both sides of the Dniestr river.
"We are ready to work with electoral and party officials here to ensure a smooth, democratic campaign and vote in the 2005 parliamentary elections and to assist Moldova in the area of media freedom", the Chairman-in-Office said.
On Monday, the Chairman-in-Office had an open exchange of views with representatives of non-governmental organizations and leaders of political parties.