Chisinau’s position on the expiry of the action period of the Protocol Decision "On the organization of interaction in the field of telecommunications", signed on November 25, 2017
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Five years after the Protocol Decision "On the organization of interaction in the field of telecommunications" was signed on November 25, 2017 by political representatives, we note about the impossibility to extend the term of action of the mechanism after its expiry, due to Tiraspol's no-compromise positions.
During period January 1 – November 25, 2022, major efforts have been made by Chisinau to make possible the interconnection of mobile and fixed networks. Thus, in this regard, more than 50 consultative meetings were held in Chisinau in various formats: multilateral with representatives of diplomatic missions and heads of the entities concerned, at the level of the relevant institutions, jointly with mobile operators from the right bank of the Nistru river. It should also be noted that during the same period, 16 meetings were held at the level of working groups on telecommunications and postal services, involving experts from the both banks.
Furthermore, Chisinau has acted proactively and in good faith, considering the interests of the population on both banks of the Nistru river; the Law No. 283/2018 was approved to provide the legal basis for regulating the issue, as well as draft decisions were prepared for the following normative acts/public policy documents.
Due to the complexity and multidimensional aspects of the telephone interconnection issue between the banks, both Chisinau and Tiraspol agreed that the form in which the Protocol Decision was signed makes it impossible to be implemented, so it was necessary to agree on the text of a draft Addendum to the Protocol Decision, which was not finalized forreasons beyond Chisinau's control.
Regrettably, Tiraspol’s no-compromise position and refusal to comply with the legal requirements and international standards prescribed in the license conditions, its tendency to monopolize the mobile and fixed telephony market on the left bank of the Nistru river and in Bender city, further abusive expansion of the mobile telephony infrastructure until and after the signing of the above-mentioned Protocol Decision, and the cessation of the operation of existing stations which create interference both on the right bank and in Ukraine, have led to the situation in which the agreed mechanism is inapplicable and inoperative.
It should be noted that Chisinau has repeatedly used all available dialogue platforms to inform Tiraspol about the inadmissibility of unilateral actions in this segment and the need to clarify several matters of principle in order to make it possible to solve the problems in the sphere of electronic communications, but unfortunately, Tiraspol has constantly ignored Chisinau's openness and its calls to return to a constructive dialogue.

