Strasbourg, 27/10/2006 (Agence Europe) - In adopting a joint resolution on Moldova by six groups (EPP-ED, PES, ALDE, Greens/EFA, GUE/NGL and UEN) in Strasbourg on Thursday 26 October, the European Parliament is forceful in its criticism of the unilateral attempts being made in the Moldovan region of Transnistria to establish the region's independence by organising a so-called referendum. It calls on Russia to refrain from backing these attempts and to grant its undivided support to multilateral efforts. It also calls on Russia to respect its commitments taken in 1996 at the Council of Europe, restated during the OSCE summits in Istanbul in 1999 and in Porto in 2002 on the subject of Russian withdrawal of troops and weapons from Moldovan territory. The Parliament invites all the parties to the conflict to refrain from any measure that would make the situation worse and to return to the negotiating table without delay, according to the F+2 formula, in order to work in favour of a rapid and transparent settlement to the conflict. The Parliament deplores the absence of significant progress in the EU's discussions on making visa issuance procedures more flexible and on the readmission agreement with Moldova. It invites the Council and the Commission to accelerate the procedure with a view to concluding a visa issuance facilitation agreement with Moldova, and implementing it. It considers it unjust and discriminatory that Transnistrian citizens holding a Russian passport can travel to the EU more easily than Moldovans. (oj)