Moldovan Foreign Minister Iurie Leanca and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov will discuss Transdnestrian conflict settlement and bilateral cooperation during Leanca's official visit to Moscow on May 27, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Tuesday.
"Bilateral cooperation will be the main issue on the agenda at the forthcoming talks. We plan to sign a plan outlining consultations between our foreign ministries for 2010," Andrei Nesterenko said.
"Constructive dialogue on ways of increasing the efficiency of integrative cooperation within the Commonwealth [CIS] will continue."
The countries will discuss the problem of Transdnestrian conflict regulation, the diplomat said, adding that at the moment, Moscow is mainly insistent on encouraging steps for the restoration of confidence between the conflicting parties.
"We expect to exchange opinions about developing European and regional cooperation in the interest of enhancing security and seeking solutions to common dangers and challenges," Nesterenko said.
The Transdnestrian conflict began in early 1989 when a law was passed in the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic (MSSR) making Moldovan the official language in the tri-lingual state.
The decision caused a particularly painful reaction in the mostly Russian-speaking region of Transdnestr, the most industrially developed region of Moldavia.
The Transdnestrian Republic announced its independence from Moldova on September 2, 1990. The Moldovan government did not recognize the new 'state' and responded by sending troops to the region.
A series of local clashes in the region culminated in June 1992 with a large-scale armed conflict on the banks of the River Dnestr, in which around 700 people died.
A ceasefire was signed in July 1992. A demilitarized security zone was created in the region and enforced by Russian armed forces already stationed there.
The international community does not recognize the independence of the Republic of Transdnestr.
MOSCOW, May 25 (RIA Novosti)
