CHISINAU, January 17. /TASS/. Tiraspol will expand cooperation with Moscow and will also continue to support the Russian-led peacekeeping operation on the Dniester River, President of the unrecognized Republic of Transnistria Vadim Krasnoselsky said in an address to government officials on Tuesday.

According to the Transnistrian presidential press service, the Foreign Ministry has been tasked with efforts to further boost bilateral ties with Russia, including through expanding interagency cooperation and strengthening trade and economic relations, cultural and humanitarian interaction, as well as to provide political and diplomatic support for the Russian-led peacekeeping operation aimed at ensuring state security and stability.

Diplomats were also instructed to continue their work to make sure that the mechanisms of the five-plus-two negotiation process (involving Moldova, Transnistria, the OSCE, Russia, Ukraine, as well as observers from the US and the EU) remain operational, and maintain regular contact with its participants.

Transnistrian Foreign Minister Vitaly Ignatyev suggested last week that the five-plus-two talks be resumed without preconditions in order to overcome a years-long stalemate. The talks have been on hold since their last round that took place in Bratislava in 2019. The situation was first blamed on political instability in Moldova, but after pro-Western politicians came to power in the country, relations between the two banks of the Dniester River cooled even more. Given the developments in Ukraine, Moldovan President Maia Sandu said that progress in the negotiations was possible only after the situation in the neighboring country was resolved.