Moldova won't backtrack on Dniester Region

Moldova regards Russia as an influential regional power and mediator in the process of the Dniester settlement, Moldovan Minister for Foreign Affairs and European Integration Andrei Stratan stated in the course of an interview, commenting on the recent OSCE ministerial meeting.

“Chisinau had repeatedly stated that the Dniester theme actually remains the only problematic one in our relations with Russia,” Stratan noted. In his opinion, “Russia should withdraw its troops from the region in order to get the Dniester problem finally settled”.

“Some contradictions in politics and diplomacy should remain on the agenda of diplomatic discussions and should not tell on the economic, cultural and personal relations between our two countries,” Stratan believes. “Moldova’s sovereignty and territorial integrity cannot be the subject of any negotiations,” he stressed, adding that “the Dniester Region should be doubtlessly given a special legal status within the bounds of Moldova”.

The Moldovan foreign minister expressed the conviction that the Moldovan parliament’s decisions on the Dniester settlement, made last summer, would contribute to the settlement of the conflict.

Commenting on those decisions, he noted that the Tiraspol regime was unable to guarantee the region’s complete democratisation, although it is indeed necessary to democratise and demilitarise the Dniester Region”. “This is not only the view of the Moldovan authorities. This view is shared by the European Union and the United States and their participation in the process of negotiations is extremely important,” Itar-Tass quoted Stratan as saying. V.Y.