CHISINAU. Nov 28 (Interfax) - A new round of 5+2 talks may be held in the near future, Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office from Austria, Wolf Dietrich Heim, said.
There are still many unsettled problems, and the work is continuing, Heim said at a press conference following the two-day 5+2 Transdniestrian settlement talks in Vienna on Tuesday.
He expressed hope that the greater momentum will be sustained under Italy's and Slovakia's presidency. There needs to be more active work than in previous years, but it should not be forgotten that negotiations began 25 years ago. A whole generation has grown up and a mentality taken shape over this time, Heim said.
Recent events reflect a new approach and a new mentality which should be preserved and developed, he said.
Heim said that another round of talks may take place in two or three weeks.
It is important to come up with solutions in order to have something to discuss; if that is achieved, the parties can have quite frequent meetings, Heim said.
Interaction between the two banks of the Dniester creates the necessary spirit of cooperation between Chisinau and Tiraspol, he said.
He called the recognition of diplomas from Tiraspol universities outside Transdniestria, including in Ukraine, "very important" for students, as it will promote the country's academic mobility. Heim also discussed telephone links between the banks Dniester.
"All of the parties are becoming more actively involved" in the settlement talks, he said.
This year was successful for the negotiations; a number of long unsettled but important issues have been resolved in the past few weeks, the head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova Michael Scanlan said.
"It is very important to maintain the pace at all levels. The working groups keep working, proposing some solutions. One needs to know how to do this and have the political will for this. Then there will be results," Scanlan said.
The two-day round of the 5+2 Transdniestrian settlement talks was held in Vienna on November 27-28. These talks were the first official ones since April 2014.