At a meeting in Sochi with his Moldovan counterpart Vladimir Voronin on August 25, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned Chisinau’s authorities against “repeating Tbilisis’ mistake of trying to use force to seize back control of a breakaway region”. "This is a serious warning, a warning to all," he added. "And I believe we should handle other existing conflicts in this context."
Medvedev added that Moldova had no reason to worry for now. "We have agreed...to meet and discuss the Transdniester settlement," he told Voronin. "I think there is a good reason to do this today. I see good prospects of reaching a settlement."
Moscow is reportedly trying to forge a settlement of the frozen Transdniester conflict that would keep the break-away region as part of Moldova but give it broad autonomy and the right to leave Moldova if Chisinau decided to join Romania or to accede to NATO.
In 2003 Moldova rejected a similar deal known as the Kozak plan. Moldovan President Voronin appears now to regard the Russian mediation more favorably. According to the news agency Reuter, Voronin told Medvedev he had indeed learned the lesson: "Thank God, during all these years...we had enough brains not to allow a similar deterioration of the situation."
Voronin added that "taking into account what had happened elsewhere it would be useful if we exercised again such wisdom not to allow such things to repeat in our country."
Two day after the meeting in Sochi, Medvedev followed the Russian Parliament’s non-binding resolution and recognized Abzahia and South Osetia as independent states.
On August 29, Chisinau issued a declaration regarding this development, stating that the recognition is not a factor of stability in the region, but stressing that the situation of Abhazia and South Osetia is dissimilar to that of Transdniester.
Medvedev added that Moldova had no reason to worry for now. "We have agreed...to meet and discuss the Transdniester settlement," he told Voronin. "I think there is a good reason to do this today. I see good prospects of reaching a settlement."
Moscow is reportedly trying to forge a settlement of the frozen Transdniester conflict that would keep the break-away region as part of Moldova but give it broad autonomy and the right to leave Moldova if Chisinau decided to join Romania or to accede to NATO.
In 2003 Moldova rejected a similar deal known as the Kozak plan. Moldovan President Voronin appears now to regard the Russian mediation more favorably. According to the news agency Reuter, Voronin told Medvedev he had indeed learned the lesson: "Thank God, during all these years...we had enough brains not to allow a similar deterioration of the situation."
Voronin added that "taking into account what had happened elsewhere it would be useful if we exercised again such wisdom not to allow such things to repeat in our country."
Two day after the meeting in Sochi, Medvedev followed the Russian Parliament’s non-binding resolution and recognized Abzahia and South Osetia as independent states.
On August 29, Chisinau issued a declaration regarding this development, stating that the recognition is not a factor of stability in the region, but stressing that the situation of Abhazia and South Osetia is dissimilar to that of Transdniester.
