Managing Intractable Conflicts: Lessons from Moldova and Cyprus

Civil Society and Transnistrian Conflict Settlement
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Political Aspects
The warming climate seen in the political dialogue between Chisinau and Tiraspol
appears to be bringing positive changes at the people-to-people level of engagement,
especially with regard to the human rights agenda. According to the results of the
4th round of negotiations in the “5+2” format, both sides have agreed to create
a common platform designed for civil stakeholders from the two banks of the
Dniester, including the participation of the relevant international organizations
(Government of the Republic of Moldova, 2012a). The representatives of Chisinau
have expressed the need for such a platform in order to monitor human rights on the
left side of the border. They have also expressed concerns regarding the degradation
of human rights in the Trandsnistrian region. Additionally, the two parties discussed
the possibility of setting up a forum for the cooperation and interaction between
civil society and mass-media where they could develop and implement common
projects as part of a confidence building effort. The idea of a forum was repeatedly
introduced by the Moldavian Vice Prime Minister for reintegration (VPMR), Eugen
Carpov, during the visit of Thomas Hammarberg, a UN expert on human rights in
the Trandsnistrian region (Government of the Republic of Moldova, 2012b). Later in
October 2012, VPMR Eugen Carpov stressed the added value of the potential forum
at a meeting with the US ambassador, William H. Moser, in Chisinau (Government
of the Republic of Moldova, 2012c).
But along with diplomatically promoting this initiative, practical steps should be
taken by civil society actors on the right bank, taking into account the feasibility,
existing resources and the prospects of fundraising the necessary funds needed to
materialize the idea of a common forum. In this regard, the contribution of the
Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum’s (2012) working group on “Democracy,
Human Rights, Good Governance and Stability” may prove fruitful, drawing
attention and, eventually, resources from European partners that are needed for the
launch and smooth function of the proposed forum.
Recommendations
• Eliminating the exclusions and obstacles in interactions with constitutional authorities.
The Concept of Cooperation between Parliament and Civil Society should
be revised in order to allow for the inclusion of NGOs from Transnistrian
regions, which are currently not able to register with the constitutional
authorities for various reasons. The consultative body that liaisons between