Gilmore hosts peace talks over Moldovan region

AN official round of peace talks will begin in Dublin today between Moldova and its breakaway region, Transdniestria.

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Eamon Gilmore, as chair of the 56-strong Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), will oversee the two-day meeting.

The Government believes it can draw on the experience from the Northern peace process to help find a solution to the conflict, which dates back to 1990 when separatists declared the region independent from Moldova. In spring 1992, the conflict between the Transdniestrian authorities and the central government in Chisinau escalated, resulting in several hundred casualties and more than 100,000 refugees.

A ceasefire was agreed in July 1992 and the parties committed themselves to negotiate a settlement to the conflict. Most of the refugees returned home.

Since 1993, the OSCE has supported efforts to find what it describes as “a comprehensive, durable and peaceful solution to the conflict”.

The talks getting under way today will include both sides of the conflict — Moldova and Transdniestria and the OSCE, Russian Federation and Ukraine as mediators.