Valeriu Chiveri in Tiraspol: “We will pursue a peaceful solution to the Transnistrian conflict”
The Government of the Republic of Moldova is committed to resolving the Transnistrian conflict solely through peaceful, political, and diplomatic negotiations. This approach will respect the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration Valeriu Chiveri made this statement on February 26 during the "1+1" meeting held at the headquarters of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Mission in Tiraspol.
During the meeting with the political representative of Tiraspol, Vitali Ignatiev, the official from Chisinau emphasized that the objective of the process is the reintegration of the region into the unitary legal, economic, financial, social and educational spaces of the Republic of Moldova.
Also, the deputy prime minister announced the creation of a convergence fund, intended to boost the reintegration process.
"The process of drafting legislative acts is in the final stage. We hope that by mid-March, the package of laws or this law will be adopted. Next, the Government will work on creating an implementation mechanism. I assume that these funds will be directed towards the implementation of social and infrastructure projects on the left bank of the Nistru. In the economic field, mechanisms have been created and are functioning that allow economic operators to carry out their activities within the legal framework of the Republic of Moldova," said Valeriu Chiveri.
Among the topics addressed at the meeting of political representatives from Chisinau and Tiraspol are free movement, access for journalists and human rights defenders on the left bank, and the need to eliminate checkpoints that limit movement.
Deputy Prime Minister Chiveri also advocated expanding the single emergency service 112 throughout the country, initially through pilot projects in localities such as Tighina, Dubăsari, or Râbnița.
In the field of education, Chiveri proposed that, starting on September 1, 2026, all Moldovan schools in the eastern districts should switch to teaching in Romanian to ensure children have access to quality education in their mother tongue.
Finally, the Deputy Prime Minister proposed continuing the meetings in the same format, with the next round to take place in Chisinau, with OSCE support.
Convergence fund, necessary
Today's meeting between Deputy Prime Minister Valeriu Chiveri and Tiraspol's representative, Vitali Ignatiev, is more of an exploratory meeting, in which the parties presented their priorities, without producing immediate concrete results, former Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration, Gheorghe Bălan, declared on the "Zi de Zi" program on Radio Moldova.
According to Bălan, such meetings are intended to address the current problems of the population, but the approaches of Chisinau and Tiraspol differ. Referring to Chisinau's initiative to create a convergence fund and gradually eliminate certain tax exemptions applied to the Transnistrian region, Bălan described the measures as necessary and correct.
"We are moving towards standardizing processes, standardizing the policies we implement throughout the country, including in the Transnistrian region. We are overcoming those inaccuracies or those things that created certain impasses. We are now overcoming them and leading to the standardization and normalization of situations throughout the country, such as the expansion of national spaces, which will also contribute to improving the lives of residents on the left bank of the Nistru, but also to promoting the process of European integration of the Republic of Moldova together with residents on the left bank of the Nistru", said Gheorghe Bălan.
The human rights situation in the Transnistrian region deteriorated significantly in 2025, amid an energy crisis and growing economic tensions, according to analyst Mihaela Șerpi from the Promo-LEX Association. She noted that beyond the official discussions between Chișinău and Tiraspol, the daily lives of residents on the left bank of the Nistru River are increasingly characterized by restrictions and pressures on vulnerable groups.
“The right to education, free from ideologization and indoctrination, is also under threat. We have observed an intensification of militarization and politicization in the Transnistrian region, particularly as the occupying regime faces multiple crises. This year, 120 minors aged between 10 and 16 were recruited into two paramilitary schools for children in the region,” Mihaela Șerpi stated.
We would like to point out that the authorities in Chisinau and the representative of the separatist administration in Tiraspol in the negotiation process for the Transnistrian settlement met on Thursday, February 26, at the headquarters of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Mission on the left bank of the Nistru.
The meeting in Tiraspol is the first between the Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration, Valeriu Chiveri, who took office in November 2025, and the separatist administration's representative in the negotiations, Vitali Ignatiev.
Last year there was no official meeting of political negotiators in the "1+1" format, the last one taking place in November 2024.
