MOSCOW, December 25. /TASS/. Moscow welcomes Tiraspol’s initiative to conduct talks in the "five plus two" format (Moldova, Transnistria, the OSCE, Russia, Ukraine, as well as observers from the EU and the US) as soon as possible and urges Chisinau to positively respond to this proposal, according to a commentary by Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova made public on Saturday.

"Moscow welcomes Tiraspol’s readiness to hold an engaged discussion of the ways of rapprochement between the Dniester’s banks and renew the talks in the ‘five plus two’ format," the diplomat noted. "We are urging the leadership of the Republic of Moldova to display a constructive approach and positively respond to Transnistria’s initiative," she added.

According to the diplomat, this initiative is capable of "providing the impetus to the process of the Transnistrian settlement and overcoming its protracted stagnation." She emphasized that Russia is ready to assist as a mediator and guarantor in this process.

On Friday, the press service of President of the unrecognized republic of Transnistria Vadim Krasnoselsky published his letter to Moldova’s President Maia Sandu with an offer to discuss the opportunities of a comprehensive settlement of the conflict between the two Dniester banks.

At the 5 + 2 negotiations, held in Berlin in 2016 and in Vienna in 2017, the sides agreed on many disputed issues. However, in recent years, the process stalled amid the polls in Moldova in 2019, while the parties failed to arrange a single round in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving a number of agreements on hold.