CHISINAU (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th May, 2019) The head of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's (OSCE) mission to Moldova, Claus Neukirch, welcomed on Monday Moldova's Transnistria breakaway republic's decision over the disputed village of Varnita and said it set an example for bilateral cooperation.
On Monday, Moldovan authorities were informed that Transnistria had canceled a decree it made in January in which it claimed the territory of Varnita under its jurisdiction and said that its decision was influenced through the 5+2 format talks.
"I welcome this decision, which will allow the Sides to maintain the trust and confidence built over the past years in the settlement process. The Varnita case should be made an example of good co-operation and freedom of movement for the benefit of the population," Neukirch said.
Neukirch said that a constructive discussion in the settlement of the issue would be beneficial for the advancement of the resolution of the conflict between Chisinau and Transnistria.
The 5+2 format includes Moldova and Transnistria as sides of conflict; Russia, Ukraine and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) as mediators; and the European Union and the United States as observers.
Transnistria, a region with a predominantly ethnically Russian and Ukrainian population, seceded from the Soviet Republic of Moldova in 1990, fearing a possible reunion with Romania. The separation led to an armed conflict that ended in a ceasefire in July 1992, although the issue is still unresolved.
