As delivered by Deputy Chief of Mission Gary Robbins
to the Permanent Council, Vienna
April 10, 2014
The United States regrets the postponement of the 5+2 Talks on the Settlement Process on the Transnistrian Conflict, which had been scheduled to take place today and tomorrow in Vienna. We appreciate the efforts of the Chairmanship, its Special Representative, and the Mission to Moldova to move this process forward. We are pleased that the working-level meetings between the sides are continuing, and hope that new dates for the 5+2 Talks can be quickly agreed upon. We also call upon all the parties to avoid taking any unilateral actions that can further disrupt this important process.
Mr. Chairman, the United States calls on the sides not to allow events in the region to affect the settlement talks negatively. The United States reiterates its commitment to working with the other 5+2 partners to find a comprehensive settlement that respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Moldova and affords a special status for the Transnistrian region.
As the United States and others have stated, the OSCE Mission to Moldova must have unrestricted access to all of Moldova to perform its activities, including the conduct of observation patrols, in order to provide unbiased reporting on the political and security situation. The restrictions placed on the Mission to Moldova undermine its ability to implement its mandate, and undermine the ability of members of the OSCE to assess the situation on the ground and its potential impact. The United States encourages all those concerned to remove these restrictions and allow the Mission to resume all activities provided for in its mandate.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman
