The settlement of the Transnistrian conflict in the center of attention at the meetings of Deputy Prime Minister Oleg Serebrian with European officials

During his working visit to Brussels, Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration Oleg Serebrian had a series of meetings at the European External Action Service (EEAS) and the European Commission's Directorate-General for Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR). He also attended the meeting of the Political and Security Committee of the Council of the EU (PSC).

The situation in the Transnistrian settlement process and the impact of the war in Ukraine on it were analyzed in detail following a discussion with EEAS Secretary-General Stefano Sannino. Deputy Prime Minister Oleg Serebrian noted the importance of the gradually increasing role of the EU in the settlement process, both politically and in terms of European expertise on current sectoral issues. Secretary-General Stefano Sannino reiterated the EU's readiness to contribute to the strengthening of Moldova's resilience to challenges by increasing the security and defense cooperation. Additionally, the Deputy Prime Minister discussed with Michael Siebert, Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia of the EEAS, the dynamics in the existing negotiation formats and their perspective.

The growth of the EU's role was also discussed with DG NEAR's Director for the EU’s Eastern Neighborhood Lawrence Meredith. EUBAM's contribution over the years to increasing security at the Moldovan-Ukrainian border has been appreciated, while noting the importance of allocating additional resources to strengthen the capacity of national authorities to manage the refugee crisis. Positively assessing the contribution of the EU-backed confidence-building measures (CBM’s), Deputy Prime Minister Oleg Serebrian stressed the need to connect them more substantially to the Transnistrian conflict settlement process.

The Moldovan official also attended the meeting of the Council of the EU’s Political and Security Committee (PSC) - the body responsible for coordinating the foreign and security policy issues of the EU Member States. The Deputy Prime Minister informed about the main trends in the settlement process, confirming the attachment of the Republic of Moldova for the peaceful and comprehensive settlement of the Transnistrian conflict, with respect to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova. Responding to multiple questions from the representatives of the EU Member States, Deputy Prime Minister Oleg Serebrian noted that, despite the increased risks, the situation on the ground remains stable. Hope was expressed that the settlement process could be stimulated, with the EU playing a more visible and influential role in it. The importance of more intensive monitoring of human rights violations in the Transnistrian region was also noted during the meeting.