Chisinau took note of and regrets OSCE decision on lack of plans to convene the 5+2 meeting during the emergency situation

Chisinau took note of the decision of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Special Representative for the Transnistrian settlement process related to Chisinau's initiative on convening a 5+2 format emergency meeting.

We regret that Chisinau's reasoned and motivated request on matters of major and vital importance, such as life and health of citizens, as well as population's access to health care, given the illegal barriers to free movement, have not been taken into particular attention in the context of exceptional situation created by the Covid-19 pandemic crisis.

On 10 April, 2020, the political representative in the Transnistrian conflict settlement process from Chisinau, Cristina Lesnic, requested the emergency convening of the 5+2 format meeting to discuss measures and identify quick solutions to intervene on the Covid-19 situation in the Transnistrian region.

In the context of the available information, Chisinau reiterates and insists on the need to urgently convene the 5+2 format meeting and calls on the mediators and observers to reconsider their position in this regard.

The unilateral actions of the Transnistrian party violate human rights, in particular the rights to life and health, the right of medically insured persons to consult a doctor, the right to choose a public or private medical institution, free movement, access to compensated medicines and vital necessities. In the current conditions, the sustainability of the results achieved within the Berlin Plus Package, among them ensuring free movement of the population on both banks of Nistru, including teachers from Romanian teaching schools in the region, amplifies new realities.

The calendar of future actions will highlight the emergency support for Moldovan citizens on both banks of Nistru given the Covid-19 pandemic context and will outline the effectiveness of long-term measures adopted within 5+2, including future priorities in this format.

Chisinau considers that people's health is outside the political process, and in this context will use other tools at its disposal to ensure urgent problems resolution for the citizens of the Republic of Moldova.

Thus, today, Chisinau will address a request to the World Health Organization Representative, requesting WHO to conduct a solely technical visit to the Transnistrian region, which is part of the Republic of Moldova, to get acquainted on the spot with the realities of the Covid-19 pandemic crisis.

We reiterate that self-isolation of the Transnistrian region under the pretext of the pandemic, impeding free movement and access to emergency medical care, as well as distorting information on the real situation of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova from the Transnistrian region, constitute serious human rights violations.