Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin on June 30 met his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, for the third time in a month. Voronin's office provided no details about the agenda of the meeting, which was held in Rostov-upon-Don.
In an apparent effort to counter domestic criticism about the allegedly nontransparent nature of his recent contacts with Russia, Voronin on June 28 held a meeting with a large number of diplomats stationed in Chisinau at which he briefed them on Moldova's stand regarding the future of Transdniester. Voronin reiterated Chisinau's desire for a return to multilateral talks, the so-called 5+2 format.
Multilateral talks ended in February 2006, when Transdniester walked out. Moldova then adopted a bilateral approach, dealing directly with Russia. However, calls for a return to a multilateral format reemerged in mid-April amid international alarm that Russia and Moldova were on the verge of a deal that would entrench Russian influence within Moldova.
In an apparent effort to counter domestic criticism about the allegedly nontransparent nature of his recent contacts with Russia, Voronin on June 28 held a meeting with a large number of diplomats stationed in Chisinau at which he briefed them on Moldova's stand regarding the future of Transdniester. Voronin reiterated Chisinau's desire for a return to multilateral talks, the so-called 5+2 format.
Multilateral talks ended in February 2006, when Transdniester walked out. Moldova then adopted a bilateral approach, dealing directly with Russia. However, calls for a return to a multilateral format reemerged in mid-April amid international alarm that Russia and Moldova were on the verge of a deal that would entrench Russian influence within Moldova.
