Chisinau, Sept. 22 (Interfax) - The Kazakh chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe supports the intensification of efforts to settle the Transdniestria conflict, Special Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office for Protracted Conflicts, Ambassador Bolat Nurgaliyev has said.
"The Transdniestria settlement process must be intensified before the OSCE summit takes place in Astana in December 2010. The resumption of talks in the 5+2 format [the sides of the conflict + Russia and Ukraine and guarantors, OSCE as mediator, E.U. and the U.S. as observers] is vital to settle the conflict," he told the press after the Wednesday talks in Chisinau with the leadership of Moldova.
However, there are a few problems, he said, that hinder "the rapprochement of the population on the two banks of the Dniester."
He said that the meetings in Chisinau and Tiraspol mulled "the provisions that will be included in the final OSCE document in Astana so that the meeting of leaders of 54 OSCE member nations will give an impetus to the settlement process."
Nurgaliyev also said that Moldova once again expressed the wish that the final document of the summit would confirm the need for the complete withdrawal of foreign troops from Moldova.
He said that participants in the Transdniestria settlement process will hold consultations next week.
"It is essential to know the present situation and compare each side’s approach to define further steps," he said.
In his opinion, "the recent informal bilateral contacts between Moldovan Prime Minister Vlad Filat and leader of Transdniestria Igor Mironov definitely promote the improvement of relations and play a positive role in official diplomacy."
"The problem of Transdniestria arouses more optimism about its solution than other frozen conflicts in the CIS," the diplomat said.
