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OSCE Chairperson-in-Office urges progress toward settlement in Moldova
CHISINAU/TIRASPOL 7 July 2000
CHISINAU/TIRASPOL, 7 July 2000 - On the second of a two-day visit to Moldova, the Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE, Austrian Foreign Minister Benita Ferrero-Waldner, expressed the hope that new initiatives could lead to a settlement of the conflict with Transdniestria.
In all her meetings, the Chairperson-in-Office reiterated the OSCE's recognition of the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova.
She expressed her satisfaction that the Russian Federation had provided the Moldovan authorities with a timetable for the withdrawal of Russian forces and the removal and destruction of ammunition and armaments stockpiled in Transdniestria, which will be formally presented later this month in Vienna. She welcomed the fact that Russian President Putin, during his recent visit to Moldova, repeated his commitment to the Istanbul Summit Declaration, which called for a complete withdrawal by the end of 2002. She emphasized the immediate danger of the vast stores of ammunition to the population. She said the amounts of these weapons far exceed the needs of any of the armies stationed in Transdniestria and that the possible spread of these arms poses a threat to the security of the region.
In a meeting with the Transdniestrian leader Igor Smirnov in Tiraspol, she urged the leadership of Transdniestria to refrain from any measures that would interfere with the withdrawal process. She called for the immediate admission of the OSCE Assessment Mission to Russian military sites.
Ms. Ferrero-Waldner also welcomed the agreement by the Moldovan Foreign Minister to include representatives from Transdniestria in their delegation to the 17 July OSCE "Reinforced Permanent Council Meeting on Moldova" in Vienna. She believes the appointment by President Putin of Mr. Yevgeny Primakov to lead a special commission on Moldova is a positive step, and looks forward to close OSCE co-operation with Mr. Primakov.
In her talks in Chisinau and Tiraspol, she emphasized the need to mobilize the political will necessary to work toward agreement on a special status for Transdniestria.
MEDIA CONTACT: For information, contact the OSCE Mission to Moldova, tel. (+373-2) 240 069: fax (+373-2) 547 620: e-mail [email protected] or [email protected]; website www.osce.org/moldova
In all her meetings, the Chairperson-in-Office reiterated the OSCE's recognition of the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova.
She expressed her satisfaction that the Russian Federation had provided the Moldovan authorities with a timetable for the withdrawal of Russian forces and the removal and destruction of ammunition and armaments stockpiled in Transdniestria, which will be formally presented later this month in Vienna. She welcomed the fact that Russian President Putin, during his recent visit to Moldova, repeated his commitment to the Istanbul Summit Declaration, which called for a complete withdrawal by the end of 2002. She emphasized the immediate danger of the vast stores of ammunition to the population. She said the amounts of these weapons far exceed the needs of any of the armies stationed in Transdniestria and that the possible spread of these arms poses a threat to the security of the region.
In a meeting with the Transdniestrian leader Igor Smirnov in Tiraspol, she urged the leadership of Transdniestria to refrain from any measures that would interfere with the withdrawal process. She called for the immediate admission of the OSCE Assessment Mission to Russian military sites.
Ms. Ferrero-Waldner also welcomed the agreement by the Moldovan Foreign Minister to include representatives from Transdniestria in their delegation to the 17 July OSCE "Reinforced Permanent Council Meeting on Moldova" in Vienna. She believes the appointment by President Putin of Mr. Yevgeny Primakov to lead a special commission on Moldova is a positive step, and looks forward to close OSCE co-operation with Mr. Primakov.
In her talks in Chisinau and Tiraspol, she emphasized the need to mobilize the political will necessary to work toward agreement on a special status for Transdniestria.
MEDIA CONTACT: For information, contact the OSCE Mission to Moldova, tel. (+373-2) 240 069: fax (+373-2) 547 620: e-mail [email protected] or [email protected]; website www.osce.org/moldova