Minister Sova Elucidating in Moscow Details of New Russian Plan of Transnistrian Settlement

Moldovan Minister of Reintegration Vasile Sova is in Moscow, trying to clear out details of a new Russian plan of Transnistrian conflict settlement.

As some Moscow mass media reported today, "it is important for Russia to intercept the conflict settlement initiative from Ukraine". For this, in that new Plan which is still withheld from the public, Moscow will apparently offer Chisinau more advantageous conditions so as to demonstrate Yushenko Plan's drawbacks. The Moldovan Minister will try to enlist Moscow's blessing for involving the European Union and the United States into the negotiation process.

According to Russian journalists, Vasile Sova arrived in Moscow without invitation, and relevant CEOs cannot hide their irritation at that, but did not deny him reception.

On Tuesday, Vasile Sova met with the Russia Representative at the Transnistrian negotiations Valery Nesteroushkin and Envoy Extraordinary of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador-at-Large Igor Savolsky, and on Wednesday - with First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Valery Lishinin. Details of those conversations are not known yet.

En route to Moscow, Vasile Sova spent a day in Kiev, where he met with Ambassador-at-Large of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dmitry Tkach and discussed with him realization of the first stage of the Yushenko Plan.

The complicated situation on the Nistru - when people living on both river banks are suffer difficulties artificially created by the conflict sides - requires a very careful attitude to the OSCE-adopted principles of regional conflicts settlement and to all accords reached earlier in the negotiation process that are able to bring Chisinau and Tiraspol back to work on an all-embracing and lasting settlement model.

That was stated during consultations in Moscow held between Moldovan Minister of Reintegration Vasile Sova, the Russia Representative at the Transnistrian negotiations Valery Nesteroushkin and Envoy Extraordinary of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador-at-Large Igor Savolsky.

The sides discussed situation in and around Transnistria, Ukraine's recent initiatives, and the need to ensure normal functioning of the main governing organ of the peacekeeping operation in the Transnistrian Security Zone - the Joint Control Commission (JCC).