CEU Center for EU Enlargement Studies (CENS) hosted a public roundtable discussion on 26 March 2012 entitled “Eastern Promises: Will Transnistria ever come out from the 'frozen conflict' zone?” The speakers were as follows (in chronological order): H.E. Alexandru Codreanu (Ambassador of the Republic of Moldova), Botond Zákonyi (Director of Hungarian Institute of International Relations), Victor Munteanu (Project Manager of United Nations Development Program, Moldova), Alexander Sergunin (Professor of Theory and History of International Relations at St. Petersburg State University, Russia, Visiting Fellow at CEU), Vitaly Ignatiev (Researcher at the Centre for Social and Political Studies, Tiraspol), András Rácz (Senior Research Fellow at the Hungarian Institute of International Relations), Witold Rodkiewicz (Research Fellow at the Centre for Eastern Studies, Poland). The roundtable discussion was chaired by Péter Balázs, Director of CENS and former Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and moderated by Matteo Fumagalli, Head of Department of International Relations and European Studies, CEU. The audience of the roundtable discussion was a distinguished group of diplomats, ambassadors, students and university professors

After the keynote speech of Péter Balázs, every participant delivered an approximately 15 minute-long individual presentation, which was followed by a lively discussion.

The first panel gave a broader historical view of the conflict from the Moldavian point of view and highlighted the importance of confidence building measures being done by the help of the United Nation’s Development Program in Moldova. These measures usually involve low level politics and people-to-people relations.

In the second panel, Russian and Transnistrian opinions were articulated, along with various social, economical, cultural and political aspects of the issue. Special focus was given to the economic situation on both banks of the Dniester River and vested interests of various international actors in the region. The majority of speakers agreed, that no significant change is likely to occur in the status quo in the near future.

The academic and national diversity of discussants ensured forming a rather balanced view at the event.