The OSCE, Moldova and Russian Diplomacy in 2003
The OSCE, Moldova and Russian Diplomacy in 2003

Summary/Abstract: There are few ministers of foreign affairs who will jump at the occasion of chairing the Organisation on Security and Co-operation in Europe. In late 2002, Netherlands Minister of Foreign Affairs Jaap de Hoop Scheffer established a large Task Force within his ministry to help him through the 2003 chairmanship. In one respect, however, The Netherlands have had less success. They had hoped to make progress in bringing one of Europe’s ‘frozen conflicts’ closer to a resolution: the Transnistria/Transdniestria issue. For two obvious reasons, the Task Force at the ministry in The Hague had selected Transnistria as the most ‘promising’ ‘frozen conflict’ in terms of the probability of making progress. First, because of its significance to the EU, where only a few years separate us from the moment when Moldova will border EU member state Romania. And second because some progress had been reached during 2002. The efforts of the Dutch, however, resulted in a tense confrontation at the ministerial meeting in Maastricht. Bitter words were spoken, negotiations seemed to have entered a cul-de-sac. Did the Netherlands chairmanship fail? And if so why? Did De Hoop Scheffer naively step in a Russian trap? Or was the situation perhaps one of Russian failure? And if so, what does this say about Russian diplomacy under Putin?

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