Russian Ambassador in Chisinau Valery Kuzmin said that Russia stopped pulling out the munitions from Transnistria because the political Transnistrian conflict settlement talks were interrupted owing to official Chisinau’s position in 2003, with Tiraspol announcing that they will hinder the pullout, Info-Prim Neo reports. During a public lecture at the Free International University of Moldova, Valery Kuzmin said that in 2007 Russia imposed a moratorium on the fulfillment of its obligations within the Adapted Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty, but honored all its commitments concerning Georgia and Moldova made at the OSCE Summit in Istanbul. “Only the munitions have not been fully withdrawn from Colbasna as the political Transnistrian conflict settlement talks were interrupted owing to Chisinau’s position in 2003,” said the Russian Ambassador. He stressed the necessity of finding a peaceful political solution to the Transnistrian dispute, underling that this is possible if the sides restore trust in each other and open a dialogue. As to the Moldovan-Russian relations, Valery Kuzmin said they were affected by the political instability in Moldova, but trade between the two countries rose by about 48% to US$1.3 billion in the first eleven months of 2010.