Chisinau urges Tiraspol not to set unacceptable terms at Transdniestrian settlement talks

CHISINAU. April 20 (Interfax) - Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration and government representative at negotiations with Tiraspol Oleg Serebrian has urged the administration of the unrecognized Transdniestrian Moldovan Republic to abandon the tactic of putting forward unacceptable terms at the Transdniestrian settlement negotiations, the press service for the Moldovan Reintegration Bureau told Interfax.

"We are ready to hold negotiations in a constructive manner. In order to do that, Tiraspol must abandon the tactics of excessive politicization and [putting forward] unacceptable terms," Serebrian said at a meeting with the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office's Special Representative for the Transdniestrian Settlement Process Thomas Mayr-Harting and head of the OSCE mission to Moldova Kelly Keiderling on Thursday.

"The Moldovan side is ready to continue a constructive dialogue with Tiraspol in the 1+1 format and at thematic working groups. The purpose of this dialogue is to find technical, long-term solutions to outstanding problems, such as free movement, Moldovan farmers' access to agricultural land in the Dubasari district, the repair of Dniester bridges, and the rational use of water resources," the press service quoted Serebrian as saying.

"All meetings of the working groups recently initiated by Chisinau [on environmental protection, social affairs and humanitarian assistance] were delayed under various pretexts by Tiraspol, which is also apathetic towards the idea of a new working meeting at the level of political representatives," he said.

"Serebrian reaffirmed the important role of the OSCE in the negotiating process and the need to retain the respective mandate in full. He also called for increasing the European Union's role in the Transdniestrian settlement negotiations in the context of Moldova's prospective accession to the EU," the press service said.