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Germany welcomes resumption of talks on Transdniester settlement

Angela Merkel pledged that Germany would support the Moldovan government’s course towards European integration

CHISINAU, August 22 (Itar-Tass) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel has welcomed the resumption of negotiations on the Transdniester settlement in the “5+2” format (Moldova, Transdniestria, the OSCE, Russia, Ukraine and observers from the United States and the European Union).

“You’ve managed to make some progress. But Europe should remember that the settlement process is not yet over,” Merkel said on Wednesday after her talks with Moldovan Prime Minister Vlad Filat.

“Germany is deeply concerned and is taking a most active part in solving this serious problem. However, other participants in the ‘5+2’ negotiating process bear the same responsibility. At this stage, it’s important for the people on both sides of the Dniester River to be able to communicate and interact freely,” Merkel went on to say.

She expressed the hope that negotiations on the Transdniester settlement would continue in September and advised their participants to be more patient and tolerant.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel also pledged that Germany would support the Moldovan government’s course towards European integration.

She urged the Moldovan people to be more patient in achieving this goal and meet the undertaken commitments.

“Moldova has a European perspective, and the government is moving in this direction,” Merkel said, noting the republic’s merits within the framework of the Eastern Partnership policy.

For his part, Moldovan Prime Minister Vlad Filat said that apart from European integration and the Transdniester settlement, he and Angela Merkel discussed relations between the two countries and the situation in the Moldovan economy hit by the consequences of severe drought.

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