A two-day review conference on Confidence-Building Measures in the Transdniestria Settlement Process ended today in southern Germany.
The conference was organized by the OSCE Mission to Moldova in the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. Political Representatives of Moldova and Transdniestria participated in the conference together with senior government, political, military and law enforcement officials of both sides who head expert working groups on confidence-building measures and chair the Joint Control Commission that oversees the cease-fire between the two sides. Political representatives of the Mediators and Observers in the Transdniestrian settlement also took part.
Philip Remler, the Head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova said, "This meeting in Garmisch is an opportunity to review what has been done to resolve concrete problems; we have the opportunity to improve mechanisms for resolving problems and building trust; and thus we have the opportunity to help lay the groundwork for resolving the conflict itself."
Participants divided into three working groups - security, economics, and humanitarian affairs - to review progress in 2010 and to explore new ways to make the working groups more effective in solving problems that affect populations on both sides. The working groups were able to meet with the Mediators and Observers to discuss international interest in the confidence-building process.
The Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for Protracted Conflicts Bolat Nurgaliyev, in his keynote speech called on the participants to "make maximum use of your presence here in Garmisch-Partenkirchen to intensify contacts in the interest of resolving significant problems of daily life, stability and security."
On the margins of the conference, the Mediators and Observers met with the Political Representatives of the Sides to prepare for next week's "5+2" consultations in Kyiv, Ukraine and for the December OSCE Summit in Astana, Kazakhstan. (OSCE Mission to Moldova)
