The EU Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova, Janis Mazeiks, claims that the Association Agreement and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement also cover the Transnistrian region. In an interview given to Moldpres, the diplomat pointed out that Brussels sees this “as one of the success stories, as approximately one third of the exports made by the Transnistrian region go to the EU”.
According to Mazeiks, the cooperation with the left of the Dniester is part of the cooperation that the Europeans have with the constitutional authorities. At the same time, the head of the European Delegation considers the dialogue between the self-proclaimed region and Chisinau necessary, “to solve important issues for people’s lives”.
“The cooperation we have with the Transnistrian region is part of the activity we have with the Republic of Moldova as a whole. For example, this is a region that is also integrated into the EU. Of course, the topic will be relevant for the next stages of integration and it will be necessary to examine each negotiation chapter”, says Mazeiks.
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Referring to the political settlement of the Transnistrian conflict, the European diplomat referred to the 5+2 format, which is currently suspended, noting that currently is not the right time for such discussions, because two of the parties, Russia and Ukraine, are at war.
“At this stage, our engagement with the Transnistrian region is aimed at trade and confidence-building measures. There is a set of projects aimed at both banks of the Dniester, to promote trust between citizens and establish contacts. I recently attended an awards ceremony for business people from both coasts. We often give grants or advisory services, there is a business HUB in Tiraspol, which we support. So our support is where it needs to be. However, at this stage, the dialogue between Chisinau and Tiraspol, which we support, is paramount”, pointed out the EU representative in Moldova.