On the 5+2 Talks on the Transnistrian Settlement Process
As delivered by Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. Harry Kamian
to the Permanent Council, Vienna
November 30, 2017
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
The United States joins others in congratulating the sides for making substantive progress at the 5+2 talks, held here in Vienna earlier this week. The United States is an observer in the 5+2 process, and we adhere firmly to the core goal of achieving a comprehensive, peaceful, and sustainable settlement of the conflict based on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Moldova with a special status for Transnistria within Moldova’s internationally-recognized borders. We express our appreciation to the Austrian Chairmanship and its Special Representative, as well as to the OSCE Mission to Moldova, for their unwavering support to the sides. Their efforts have facilitated both direct dialogue and formal negotiations in the 5+2 format, and supported confidence- and security-building measures.
The 5+2 talks that took place in Vienna, November 27 and 28, are a clear sign that the results-oriented approach we agreed on in Hamburg last year is paying dividends. This latest round showed that the sides can make progress when there is the political will to do so. The recent agreement to open the bridge set in motion a series of measures on apostilization of diplomas, telecommunications, Latin script schools, and the Dubasari farmland, which were signed on November 25. We call on the sides to finalize agreement on freedom of movement, car registration, and criminal cases by early 2018. These measures, the so-called “Package of Eight,” will have a positive benefit for the populations on both banks of the Nistru River.
The United States takes this opportunity to reaffirm its strong support for the Chairmanship’s Special Representative and the OSCE Mission to Moldova.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
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