As delivered by Ambassador Daniel B. Baer to the Special Permanent Council, Vienna | September 8, 2014
The United States regrets that the next round of 5+2 Talks on the Transnistrian conflict settlement process, slated to be held in Vienna on September 11 and 12, has been postponed for a second time.
As I noted at last week’s Permanent Council, the rising tensions along Ukraine’s border with Moldova’s Transnistrian region and the lack of transparency into the activities of the military force in that region underscore the need for the OSCE Mission in Moldova to have unrestricted access to all of Moldova in order to fulfill its mandate and provide unbiased reporting on the situation on the ground. We hope that all the participants of the 5+2 Talks, and the Special Representative, will make it a priority to address this issue, and facilitate full implementation by the Mission of all activities provided for in its mandate, including regular, unhindered patrols throughout all of Moldova.
The United States remains committed to working with other partners in the 5+2 framework to find a comprehensive settlement that respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Moldova and with a special status for the Transnistrian region.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
