Chief Negotiators for the Transdniestrian settlement process outline progress, commit to further steps

CHISINAU, 15 February 2018 - The first meeting in the 1+1 format between the Moldovan and Transdniestrian Chief Negotiators, Cristina Lesnic and Vitaly Ignatiev, respectively, took place in Chisinau on 15 February. 

During the meeting, the Chief Negotiators reviewed the progress achieved in the implementation of four out of five agreements signed between the Sides in November last year in Bender and Chisinau, and endorsed in the Vienna Protocol. In the first two months of 2018, the Sides have locked in an agreement on the increased capacity of the Gura Bicului-Bychok bridge to make it accessible to vehicles of up to 10 tonnes, ensured the functioning of the Moldova-administered Latin-script schools, agreed on the apostilization of educational documents issued in Transdniestria, and restored Moldovan farmers’ access to their land in the Dubasari district. 

The Sides committed to build on the momentum created by this progress and expressed confidence that additional agreements will be reached over the next few months, including on a mechanism to allow vehicles from Transdniestria to participate in international road traffic. The meeting was concluded by the signing of a Protocol Decision on veterinary, quarantine and plant protection measures, which demonstrates a resolve of the Sides to engage in the settlement process comprehensively and address practical issues that go beyond the so-called package of eight.

Head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova, Ambassador Michael Scanlan, welcomed the recent efforts of the Sides, including the constructive dialogue between the Chief Negotiators and in the working group format.

“The rapid implementation by the Sides of the agreements signed in November 2017 demonstrates the political will on both sides in support of an output-based dynamic, which I am confident will accelerate,” concluded Ambassador Scanlan.