CHISINAU. April 14 (Interfax) - Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin, in a television program on Saturday, credited Russia with a major role in efforts to settle Moldova's conflict with its breakaway Transdniestria region.
"It is purely owing to the Russian Federation that it has been possible to organize the meeting with the Transdniestrian leader, Igor Smirnov, that I had on Friday," Voronin told Moldovan television.
The Moldovan president said Russia had changed its line on the Transdniestrian conflict after he met with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in January.
"We have been able to organize [my] first meeting [with Smirnov]. Working groups will be meeting for the next two weeks to come up with proposals for measures to build confidence between Moldova and Transdniestria. After that there will be a new meeting with Smirnov, we will discuss what the working groups have and have not been able to do," Voronin said.
He said he and Smirnov had agreed to meet regularly and maintain telephone contact as well.
"We think that we are moving along the right path and are gradually approaching the resumption of full-scale negotiations in the 'Five Plus Two' format [talks involving Moldova, Transdniestria, Russia, Ukraine, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the United States and the European Union]," the Moldovan leader said.
Voronin expressed cautious optimism about the chances for Transdniestria returning under Moldovan sovereignty.
"I have always been an optimist as regards the solution of the Transdniestrian conflict in such a way that the country is kept together. After the State Duma passed a resolution on the recognition of Moldova's integrity, it became clear to everyone that all talk about two republics, federalization and so on should be stopped," he said.
Voronin said he had swapped proposals with Smirnov.
"The working groups will be discussing all that. We also came to an agreement to lift all travel restrictions on the population and on Chisinau and Tiraspol leaders, and I think there will be other results very soon as well," the Moldovan president said.