CHISINAU. April 12 (Interfax) - Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration Oleg Serebrian is not ruling out that the role of the parties to the Transdniestrian settlement talks could be reconsidered in the future.
"Ukraine will play a significant role in the settlement. So will Western partners. And here I'm not talking about the traditional negotiators - the European Union and the United States - but also Romania, Germany, France, [and] Poland, which are expressing an increasing interest in the settlement process," he said during public hearings on the strategic vision for national security, conducted as part of developing the National Security Strategy, which were organized in parliament on Wednesday. "By no means do I want anyone to think that we want to change the current negotiating formula [5+2 talks involving Moldova, Transdniestria, Russia, Ukraine and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, as well as observers from the U.S. and the EU]. But these partners need to be given a say, so that the EU's role will be more significant in the negotiation format. This is necessary," Serebrian, who is also the chief negotiator for Chisinau in talks with Tiraspol, said.
At the same time, he noted that the Transdniestrian conflict should be resolved exclusively via peaceful means. Serebrian spoke in favor of continuing negotiations on the Transdniestrian settlement "on all available platforms."
In his speech, he also compared the Transdniestrian conflict to a "dormant volcano."
"The conflict is now in 'dormant mode,' like an extinct [dormant] volcano. This is the danger with such volcanoes, as you never know when the eruption will begin. The same is true with a conflict, as you never know when and how it will be unfrozen, or by whom. Therefore, our task, the task of all state institutions responsible for security, is to prevent an escalation, an increase in tension," the Moldovan deputy prime minister said.