Romanian Leader Calls On Dodon To Prevent Federal Solution To Moldova's Transnistria Issue

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis discussed with his Moldovan counterpart, Igor Dodon, the Transnistria issue, specifically pointing out that Chisinau should prevent Moldova from becoming federalized, the Romanian presidential press service said on Thursday in a statement

CHISINAU (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th September, 2019) Romanian President Klaus Iohannis discussed with his Moldovan counterpart, Igor Dodon, the Transnistria issue, specifically pointing out that Chisinau should prevent Moldova from becoming federalized, the Romanian presidential press service said on Thursday in a statement.

The meeting was held in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

"President Klaus Iohannis touched upon the Transnistrian conflict ... He pointed out that his country was directly interested in how this issue was progressing, including in terms of Romania's security. President Klaus Iohannis stressed ... that it is important to avoid any solution that envisages the federalization [of Moldova] and any other form [of government] that may create obstacles for the pro-European course of the nation," the statement said.

According to the Romanian presidential press service, Dodon said that Chisinau was not considering establishing a Federal government in Moldova as a means of resolving the conflict.

The reconciliation plan does, however, envisage granting a special status to the breakaway region.

Dodon wrote on his Facebook page that the development of ties with Romania was a key priority for the Moldovan presidential administration.

Transnistria, a region with a predominantly ethnically Russian and Ukrainian population, seceded from the Soviet Republic of Moldova in 1990, fearing a possible reunion with Romania. The separation led to an armed conflict that ended in a ceasefire in July 1992, although the issue is still unresolved.

In the 2000s, Moscow proposed that Moldova be federalized as a way of resolving the conflict, but the idea was rejected by then-Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin, who feared that such a transformation may result in the irreversible secession of Transnistria.