Transnistria Accuses Moldova's Deputy PM of Sabotaging Conflict Negotiations

Transnistrian authorities have accused Moldova's Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration, Valeriu Chiveri, of avoiding negotiations that might resolve the conflict, according to a statement by the unrecognized republic's Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding Chiveri's refusal to hold a meeting with the Transnistrian delegation at the OSCE Mission's office in Tiraspol in the second half of July.

"Such actions by the political representative of the Republic of Moldova constitute a form of sabotage of the negotiation process: instead of substantive work, ultimatums and preconditions; instead of an agreed-upon agenda, topics detached from reality; instead of professional dialogue, a sham of interaction and propaganda slogans," the statement on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' website says. It emphasized that the Moldovan official had issued an ultimatum refusing to hold meetings at the OSCE mission offices in Tiraspol and Bendery, which traditionally serve as agreed-upon neutral venues for dialogue between the parties.

"In the face of growing socio-economic and humanitarian risks, we call on the Moldovan side to immediately return to the negotiating table with Transnistria, including a willingness to hold meetings of political representatives, activate expert groups, de-escalate, and implement previously reached agreements in the interests of the people of Transnistria and Moldova," the Transnistrian Foreign Ministry noted.

Negotiations on the Transnistrian settlement on the 5+2 platform (Moldova, Transnistria, the OSCE, Russia, Ukraine, and observers from the EU and the US) have been frozen since 2019. Transnistrian leader Vadim Krasnoselsky has repeatedly called on Moldova's leadership to resume negotiations, but Moldovan President Maia Sandu, after being elected in 2020, stated that she would not meet with the leader of the unrecognized republic.