A new working meeting of the political representatives in the negotiation process for the Transnistrian settlement, after a break of more than 15 months

On 26 February 2026, at the Tiraspol office of the OSCE Mission to the Republic of Moldova, a new working meeting of the political representatives in the negotiation process for the Transnistrian settlement took place between Valeriu Chiveri and Vitalii Ignatiev, representing Chișinău and Tiraspol respectively, after a break of more than 15 months, the previous meeting having been held on 19 November 2024.

The delegation from Chișinău was accompanied by a group of journalists from the right bank of the Nistru River, who were granted access to the introductory part of the round and the opportunity to address questions to both negotiators following the conclusion of the discussions.

In his message, Deputy Prime Minister Chiveri reiterated the firm commitment of the authorities of the Republic of Moldova to achieving a lasting and peaceful settlement of the Transnistrian conflict, with full respect for the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.

The chief negotiator from Chișinău expressly emphasized that the central objective of the settlement process is the reintegration of the eastern districts of the country into the unified legal, economic, social, and educational spaces of the Republic of Moldova, and by no means the development of alleged bilateral relations between the two banks. In this regard, the political representative from Tiraspol was urged to abandon illusory approaches and to accept Chișinău’s reintegration offer, which has no alternative.

The intention to establish a convergence fund, composed of national and international contributions, was mentioned, aimed at financing social and infrastructure projects on both banks the Nistru River.

The political representative of Chișinău expressed appreciation for Tiraspol’s constructive involvement in resolving the issue of supplying essential goods to residents of the Cocieri Plateau during the suspension of the Molovata ferry’s operation, while also recalling the need to definitively resolve the issue of freedom of movement on the left bank of the Nistru River and in the municipality of Bender for all categories of citizens, including journalists, through the dismantling of illegal control post infrastructure.

Human rights were reiterated as an acute issue in the Transnistrian region, with a renewed call for the release of citizens of the Republic of Moldova from illegal detention and for the annulment of grounds for their prosecution on alleged extremist activities, including reference to pending cases before the European Court of Human Rights concerning violations committed in the region.

The issues faced by farmers in the Dubăsari district and by Romanian-language schools in the Transnistrian region were also reiterated, with a call on Tiraspol to resolve them in line with previously assumed commitments, including progress on providing dedicated premises for the “Evrika” Theoretical Lyceum in Râbnița and the “Ștefan cel Mare și Sfânt” Theoretical Lyceum in Grigoriopol.

The Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration voiced a proposal that, starting 1 September of the current year, the study of the Romanian language be introduced into the educational process in all educational institutions in the region, as well as ensuring the implementation of a pilot project, beginning in Bender and subsequently in other localities in the region, to provide residents with access to the 112 emergency service.

Chișinău rejected as unfounded the allegations made by the political representative from Tiraspol that the criminalization of separatism in the criminal legislation of the Republic of Moldova constitutes an alleged impediment to the negotiation process. It also clarified, with regard to various cases of detentions at the state border and refusals of entry into the country involving certain foreign nationals, that these are individual cases concerning the activities of law enforcement bodies implementing the requirements of the existing legal framework.

Regarding Tiraspol’s initiatives to establish mechanisms of interaction between both banks of the Nistru River in various areas such as combating crime, early warning of seismic risks, and environmental protection, Chișinău specified that viable solutions and appropriate measures can be ensured through granting access to the region to the competent national authorities.

With respect to the import into the country of certain categories of medicines intended for the Transnistrian region, Chișinău specified that these ambiguities can be overcome through compliance with the requirements of the legislation in force, aligned with European Union standards, as well as through harmonization with the relevant nomenclatures applied on the right bank of the Nistru River.

The process of documenting vehicles from the Transnistrian region with neutral model license plates was also discussed. It was noted that this mechanism will remain functional for the categories of vehicles and within the parameters established by the existing legal framework, this approach not being applicable to ambulances transporting patients, which must comply with specific medical protocols and regulations.

In response to Tiraspol's attempts to politicize the content of history textbooks recently published on the right bank of the Nistru River, it was once again emphasized that the educational materials distributed in the Transnistrian region retain interpretations and narratives that present processes and events taking place in the Republic of Moldova in a negative light.

The political representatives agreed to maintain constant interaction, to contribute to identifying viable solutions to current issues, and to stimulate the activity of sectoral working groups so that they convene periodically and discuss agenda topics at a technical level.

The date, location, and agenda of the next working meeting are to be agreed through consultations conducted via the communication channel of the offices of the political representatives.