EU 'Disengaged' From Settlement of Transnistria-Moldova Conflict - PMR Minister

TIRASPOL (Sputnik) — The European Union is not willing to engage in the settlement of conflict between Moldova and the self-proclaimed Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR, or Transnistria), the unrecognized republic's foreign minister, Vitaly Ignatiev, said.

"The European Union does not want to influence the current negative situation in the negotiation process. Currently, in general it largely condones one of the parties. It is clearly illustrated by the situation with the talks in the 5+2 format. The European Union, represented by the acting Austrian chairmanship in the OSCE, practically disengaged from the settlement of the conflict," Ignatiev said in an interview with El Mundo newspaper, as quoted by the Transnistrian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday.

The minister noted that Moldova is not willing to peacefully settle the crisis, as it is trying to provoke a military conflict.

"Moldova is not ready to talk with Transnistria in a civilized manner. The rigid unilateral actions toward PMR, which can now be observed, confirm our fears that someone in the Moldovan leadership, with the support of some international partners, plans to take revenge in the conflict by force," Ignatiev said.

The foreign minister listed Moldova’s and Ukraine’s joint plans to set up border control points at the Transnistrian border as an example of such actions.

Since 2005, the talks on the Transnistrian conflict have been held in the 5+2 format, which includes Moldova, Transnistria, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Russia, Ukraine, plus the European Union and the United States as external observers. The latest round was held on June 2-3, 2016 in Berlin.

The conflict began in 1990 when Transnistria, a region with a predominantly Russian and Ukrainian population, seceded from the Soviet Republic of Moldova for fear of potential unification with Romania. The separation led to a conflict known as the Transnistria War that ended in a ceasefire declared on July 21, 1992. The conflict remains unresolved.