Moscow and Berlin Began Delineation Mission in the Transdniestrian Settlement

As it became known to the editorial staff of the RTA, in the near future the OSCE Mission to Moldova will be headed by a German diplomat for the first time in many years. As it became known to the editorial staff of the RTA, in the near future the OSCE Mission to Moldova will be headed by a German diplomat for the first time in many years. Moreover, he already has experience in the Mission, as well as sufficient qualifications in the problems of unresolved conflicts in the post-Soviet space. Such a symbolic personnel castling on the Transdniestrian settlement track is quite unexpected, as for decades this post was traditionally held by employees of the US State Department. Earlier we already wrote about the fact that the Meseberg meeting between Putin and Merkel will become decisive for a number of processes, including conflicts in Moldova and Ukraine, and the agreements reached will be expressed in concrete instruments for implementing those or other scenarios. Thus, there is every reason to believe that Berlin and Moscow nice and easy take charge of the Transdniestrian settlement process. A certain weakening of the US positions is, most likely, not too dramatic for Washington in the current situation. Moreover, this course of events largely fits into the agenda of the incumbent American president, who demonstrates a fairly pragmatic approach to security issues on the European continent. Visible trends of uniting efforts of Moscow and Berlin raise a reasonable question: what exactly is preparing the Russian-German tandem for the Transdniestrian settlement, what approaches and recipes can be used to stabilize the situation and strengthen security? And most importantly, will Transdniestrian experience have instrumental value for other conflict zones? As can be seen, the forthcoming solidarity of positions of Germany and Russia on Transdniestria is dictated by the desire of Russia and the EU to qualitatively review approaches to the problem of unresolved conflicts, especially since such a problem zone becomes more and more every year. For many years, global players have been trying to find the optimal formula that would allow international law to integrate new states arising from disintegration processes and local conflicts into the system of international relations. So, after ten years, it became obvious to everyone that the arbitrary actions of one state or group of countries, be it the Kosovo model or Abkhazia with South Ossetia, do not in fact guarantee the necessary level of security, do not help to achieve a final settlement and do not ensure stability in these regions. Realizing this, the political elites of Europe, the United States and Russia are in search of a universal instrument (or set of tools) that would minimize costs and resolve such conflicts as effectively as possible. It is interesting that in the last month the expert discussion is actively filled with the delineation thesis, which is planned for the first time to be tested in the Serbian-Kosovo settlement. Alertness and various reactions about the ‘delineation’ idea among the involved states are reasonable: the result of a potential deal between Belgrade and Pristina, which is likely to be supported by key international players, will no longer be a unique, but quite relevant model for other conflict cases. In this context, the experience of Serbia and Kosovo is a trial balloon that does not require serious negotiating and expert efforts and will most likely be implemented in one form or another. The delineation, which is more complex in its composition and parameters, seems to be tested by Berlin and Moscow on the Transdniestrian settlement, where the delimitation processes take place in more civilized forms. The recent agreements between Chisinau and Tiraspol that allow Transdniestrian motor transport to participate in the international traffic, recognition of the Transdniestrian diplomas through the apostille mechanism and other trends allow us to speak about careful step-by-step assignment of Transdniestria with international sovereignty. This mechanism of a balanced delineation of the two legal systems (Moldova and Transdniestria), with the participation of key international mediators, taking into account the objective circumstances that have developed over the decades, judging by the observed trends, may well become a pilot project for developing a realistic and sustainable model to resolve a long-standing conflict and may later be applied in other challenging areas on the European continent.