Vladimir Putin has arrived in France for a two-day official visit. He is set to meet with his French counterpart, Jacques Chirac, later this evening and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will join the two presidents for a trilateral meeting on Saturday.
"Our position is that we should adhere to principles of international law, one of which is the principle of territorial integrity," Putin said before talks with Chirac. "But we should search for solutions that would satisfy all people who reside on a certain territory, especially in Europe."
Transdnestr, which has a predominantly Russian-speaking population, proclaimed independence from Moldova in the early 1990s, following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Armed clashes between Moldova and Transdnestr ensued, and Russia has been part of the peacekeeping mission in the breakaway region ever since.
Transdnestr held a referendum last Sunday and voted for independence and future union with Russia.
But the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe has refused to recognize the outcome. It said holding the referendum unilaterally was a threat to Moldova's territorial integrity, and that the event could heighten tensions in the region.
President Putin told a news conference that this issue was very complicated and could hardly be solved in a public discussion with the media.
"I would want very much to resolve this issue in a discussion with you, but I think we will not manage to do it," Putin said in response to a journalist's question about Transdnestr.
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