CHISINAU, August 5 (Itar-Tass) —— Moldova and Russia call for the soonest resumption of the official Transdniestrian settlement negotiations, the Moldovan government press office said on Friday in comment on a meeting of Vice-Premier Eugen Carpov and Russian representative to the Transdniestrian negotiations Sergei Gubarev.
“Moldova stands for the immediate resumption of official negotiations on the Transdniestrian settlement in the 5+2 format [Moldova, Transdniestria, Russia, Ukraine and the OSCE, as well as the European Union and the United States as observers]. Chisinau is open for debates with Tiraspol for the sake of the soonest solution of social and humanitarian problems,” Carpov said.
The sides focused on preparations for the second round of consultations planned in Moscow for September. Carpov said that the Moldovan government had made a number of initiatives to resume railroad traffic and telephone service and to settle trade issues.
“These measures will contribute to the Transdniestrian settlement,” Gubarev said. “Being a negotiating party, Moscow unwaveringly supports the resumption of the official dialog in the 5+2 format.”
The latest consultations were held in Moscow in June and a decision to resume the official negotiations was expected. Yet Chisinau and Tiraspol failed to reach a compromise. The consultations were suspended, and the sides agreed to meet again in Moscow in September.