"There are no objective obstacles to holding the 5+2 meeting," PMR president Vadim Krasnoselsky stated

Tiraspol, December 20. /Novosti Pridnestrovya/. Claims continue to be made in Chisinau that the 5+2 negotiating format has allegedly lost its functionality and requires replacement by other platforms. Meanwhile, Tiraspol emphasizes that there are no real reasons for blocking the dialogue. In an interview with RIA Novosti, Pridnestrovian President Vadim Krasnoselsky recalled that the international format had been halted back in October 2019 at a meeting in Bratislava due to Moldova's fault.

"At that time, its political representative refused to sign the meeting final protocol, thereby stalling the process. Moldova then began inventing excuses to avoid holding the meeting. Unfortunately, some international participants are playing along. But their arguments do not stand up to scrutiny," Vadim Krasnoselsky emphasized.

Vadim Krasnoselsky specifically addressed the argument about the impossibility of Russia and Ukraine participating at the same negotiating table, which is increasingly being used to justify blocking the format.

"However, as we know, even in the face of confrontation, these countries continue to maintain regular contacts on various issues. So why shouldn't they cooperate in our negotiation process? There are no objective obstacles to holding a 5+2 meeting – there is only individual participants` reluctance to work in this format," Vadim Krasnoselsky stated.

Speaking about the prospects for restarting negotiations, the President expressed confidence that the format will be resumed anyway, as further delays pose risks for all parties.

"Sooner or later, everyone will understand that further delaying the resolution of accumulated problems is simply dangerous. But I don't understand why we should wait, delaying the inevitable, and waste precious time that could already be spent seeking compromise solutions for the benefit of the people," the president of the PMR concluded.

As a reminder, Pridnestrovie and Moldova officially entered into negotiations to resolve the conflict more than three decades ago, in April 1994. In recent years, the dialogue between the PMR and the Republic of Moldova, which has always been difficult, has been in a deep crisis. Since the fall of 2019, Moldovan authorities have been blocking the 5+2 negotiating format (Pridnestrovie and Moldova are parties to the conflict; Russia, Ukraine, and the OSCE are mediators; and the European Union and the United States are observers). Furthermore, Chisinau frequently sabotages meetings of political representatives and ignores initiatives to hold meetings at the level of the presidents of Pridnestrovie and Moldova.