Moldova has been simulating dialogue with the breakaway republic of Transnistria, the republic's foreign minister said on Thursday.

TIRASPOL (Transnistria) (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, Chisinau informed Tiraspol that the direct 1+1 talks scheduled for Friday would not take place.

"Unfortunately, we can say that the Moldovan side formally declares readiness for substantive work, sending certain media signals…but from the practical viewpoint, in terms of practical results, we see that the meeting of expert [working] groups will not take place," Transnistria's acting Foreign Minister Vitaliy Ignatiev told reporters.

According to the minister, Transnistria has sent 14 proposals to the Moldovan authorities to boost the relevant experts' meetings, however, a positive response was obtained only once.

Transnistria, a region dominated by an ethnically Russian and Ukrainian population, broke away from the Soviet Republic of Moldova in 1990, fearing the country might seek to reunify with neighbouring Romania. The move triggered a war that ended in a ceasefire in July 1992, but the conflict has remained unresolved.

Russian peacekeepers have been upholding peace in the region, along with their Moldovan and Transnistrian counterparts.

Transnistria, which is not recognized by the United Nations as a political and diplomatic entity, is seen by Moldova as an autonomous territorial unit with special legal status.