The project was implemented with the support of the Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation of the German Marshall Fund of the United States. The project focused on the following key objectives: take stock of the achieved progress in implementing Confidence Building Measures (CBM) between both banks of Nistru River. Search new ideas to promote CBMs and practical cooperation in the areas of economy, trade, regional development, energy, transport and telecommunication. Increase the society awareness about the importance of CBMs and sector cooperation between both banks of Nistru River for the final political settlement. Enhance the civil society role in identifying, debating and implementing the new solutions for overcoming challenges that impede the practical cooperation between Chisinau and Tiraspol. Explore the EU expertise in promoting CBMs and practical cooperation between both banks of Nistru River. Facilitate the dialogue between Moldova and Transnistria region on practical cooperation and DCFTA implementation.
The project includes the following main activities:
- Organized the 2nd International Conference on “Transnistrian Settlement: Quo Vadis?”, Chisinau, November 2016;
- Organized 3 conference session to discuss CBMs achievements & challenges, prospects of economic cooperation between Moldova and Transnistria region, as well as the political settlement challenges;
- Publish media reports about the Policy Papers conclusion & recommendations;
- Invite to the International Conference: international experts/participants from EU, Ukraine, Russia and United States (among them John BEYER, Professor St Antony’s College University of Oxford, Vlad SOCOR, Senior Fellow, Eurasia Programme, Jamestown Foundation, James SHERR, Associate Fellow, Russia and Eurasia Programme, Chatham House, Ilvija BRUGE, Researcher, Latvian Institute of International Affairs, Piotr OLEKSY, Researcher, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, Andrey DEVYATKOV, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Economics of Russian Academy of Sciences & Associate professor Lomonosov Moscow State University, Hanna SHELEST, Member of the Board, Head of International Security Studies, The Foreign Policy Council “Ukrainian Prism”, Kamil CAŁUS, Research Fellow, Department for Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova, OSW, Poland); 2) participants from Transnistria region representing civil society and local administration; 3) up 70 representatives of civil society, Moldovan authorities and international partners to attend the International Conference;
- Publishing more than 12 media reports with national coverage about the International Conference results;
- Publishing 3 Policy Paper on: 1) Critical Examination of the International Efforts on Confidence Building Measures in the Transnistria Conflict Resolution Process”; 2) “Opportunities and Challenges of Economic Cooperation between Moldova and Transnistria region” 3) “Facing the Challenges of the Transnistria Political Settlement” (in progress).
This particular project was designed in line with the necessities identified by the APE in the TTF proposal managing to raise public opinion awareness about the regional security dangers to Moldova’s independence, democratic and economic development, such as the Russian revisionist policy, Transnistrian separatism, Eurasian integration, transnational organized crime.
