There is no doubt that Ukraine’s chairmanship in the OSCE is a great chance for Ukrainian diplomacy to demonstrate their problem-solving ability, particularly, in case with the closely located “frozen” Transnistrian conflict. It is imperative also because some Western countries opposed the idea of Kyiv assuming the presidency of the organization that deals with security and cooperation in Europe. That’s why it is good that assuming the responsibilities of the chairman, the chief of the Ukrainian diplomacy Leonid Kozhara said that it is a great challenge and a great opportunity for our country.
Kozhara made his first foreign visit in the status of the OSCE Chairman to Moldova, as it was expected. He held negotiations first with the senior leadership in the Moldovan capital Chisinau, and then, on the next day, he met with the top leadership of the unrecognized Transnistrian Moldovan Republic.
People in both Chisinau and in Tiraspol gladly welcomed Kozhara as a representative of a neighboring country, hoping that Kyiv would facilitate the quick settlement of the Transnistrian conflict.
Kozhara particularly noted that Ukraine, as a mediator, a guarantor, and also as the closest neighbor singled out the Transnistrian settlement as one of the top priorities of its presidency in the OSCE in 2013. He also stressed the need to give some extra impetus to negotiations in the “five plus two” format. “Ukraine is the most interested party of the negotiation process and does not aim at solving geopolitical problems,” said the Ukrainian Minister.
The President of the Republic of Moldova Nicolae Timofti, on his part, during a meeting with Kozhara expressed his conviction that thanks to the unique experience accumulated by the official Kyiv, it, without a doubt, would be able to facilitate the successful advancement of the Transnistrian settlement process.
Meanwhile, during the negotiations in Tiraspol the Transnistrian leader Yevgeny Shevchuk supported the initiative proposed by the Ukrainian chairman in the OSCE and stressed the necessity to first address the social and economic agenda of the negotiation process that meets the interest of citizens on both banks of the Dnister.
The media reported very little information about what actually was discussed during the meetings in Chisinau and Tiraspol. However, The Day found out through diplomatic sources about the things that were discussed at those meetings and, in particular, about what will be taken as a basis for Transnistrian conflict settlement. It also learned how the sides of the conflict reacted to Ukrainian initiatives. “The settlement will be based on principles that were formulated and agreed upon in the OSCE statement adopted in December 2012 in Dublin. It constitutes the territorial integrity of Moldova with special status of Transnistria. This is the main condition,” told The Day’s source.
He also added that the main signal of the negotiations is great expectations for Ukraine’s presidency, which it defined as an important priority for its chairmanship in the OSCE. “We will continue the dynamics of the negotiation process so that this year it would be just as positive as it was last year. The main thing is that we established personal contact with the leaders who are involved in this process,” said the diplomat.
According to him, the main task at this stage is to create appropriate conditions, including the feeling of trust between the left and the right banks of the Dnister, for the start of political negotiations that are not taking place at the moment. “That is why the official Chisinau has not yet commented specifically on this issue. We agreed to prepare a roadmap for this year of our presidency. It still needs to be improved. This roadmap will be a subject for discussion at the “five plus two” meeting in Lviv, scheduled for February 20. But the most important task is to continue the high dynamics of the negotiation process and its amplification in this direction,” said the source.
The diplomat also denied rumors that Maracuta plan, which provides for the creation of a new territorial entity – Euroregion “Transnistria,” will be taken as the basis for the negotiations. Speaking about the prospects of settlement or any breakthrough in resolving the conflict during Ukraine’s presidency in the OSCE, the source said: “We are creating the conditions for this. But Ukraine is not the only part of the negotiation process. We create, so to say, the basis and then the main parties of the conflict have to intensify their efforts in this.”
