The Special Representative of the Serbian OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the Transdniestrian settlement process, Ambassador Radojko Bogojević, completed today three days of meetings in Chisinau and Tiraspol. This was his first visit of the year and under the 2015 Serbian Chairmanship of the OSCE.

In Chisinau, Bogojević met the Speaker of the Parliament Andrian Candu, Deputy Foreign Minister Valeriu Chiveri, and Acting Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration and Chief Negotiator Eugene Carpov.

In Tiraspol, Bogojević met Transdniestrian leader Yevgeniy Shevchuk, Chief Negotiator Nina Shtanski and the Speaker of the Supreme Soviet Mikhail Burla.

"The meetings of the Chief Negotiators and the Working Groups are essential to achieving results in the 5+2 format," he said. "It is vital these get underway at the earliest opportunity."

In his meetings, he highlighted the need for the continuation of the 5+2 talks in 2015, underscoring the importance of immediately launching the preparatory dialogue.

Bogojević, who remains Special Representative for the Transdniestrian settlement process for the duration of the consecutive Swiss and Serbian Chairmanships in 2014-2015, stressed that the Transdniestrian settlement remains high on the agenda of the OSCE Chairmanship.

"I remain strongly determined to facilitate achieving a comprehensive, just and viable resolution of the conflict, and help build confidence between people on both banks of the Dniester/Nistru River," he said.

Ambassador Michael Scanlan, the head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova, welcomed the openness to dialogue of both sides. "I believe that the formation of a new government in Moldova will provide an opportunity to deepen confidence building activities as well as to embrace a constructive dialogue," Scanlan said.

The Chief Negotiators of the sides have not met since 6 October 2014, when the electoral process put Chisinau's engagement at this level on hold, pending a new government. This was Bogojević's first visit to the region after the elections.

The 5+2 format includes representatives of the sides, mediators and observers in the negotiations – Moldova, Transdniestria, the OSCE, the Russian Federation, Ukraine, the US and the EU.



Photo by:OSCE/Igor Schimbator