Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of tensions in the Republic of Moldova between the Moldovan government and Transnistrian separatists.

The UK supports a sustainable resolution of the Transnistrian conflict, with a special status for the Transnistrian region. Wendy Morton MP, former Minister for Europe and Americas, discussed Transnistria with Moldovan Prime Minister Gavrilita in London in November, and reaffirmed the UK's support for Moldova's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Our Ambassador to Moldova regularly discusses developments in meetings with Moldovan President Maia Sandu and in meetings with the de facto leader of Transnistria, most recently on 7 February. The UK continues to support the efforts of the OSCE 5+2 format, the high level working group of which meets regularly in order to discuss the conflict. We note the recent appointment of a Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration, enabling Chisinau and Tiraspol to each have a Chief Negotiator to discuss a range of issues directly.