A/HRC/19/18 the representatives of the civil society and mass media in order to improve the human rights situation in the region. 67. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in cooperation with line ministries, had launched internal consultations on the issue of lifting territorial reservations under the international treaties on human rights. At the same time, the fact that the Transnistrian region had been outside the control of the constitutional authorities of the Republic of Moldova made it extremely difficult to ensure proper respect of fundamental human rights and freedoms in the region. The Government offered, to the extent of its possibilities, assistance to persons whose rights were violated. 68. The delegation mentioned a number of specific human rights issues that the region faced: the status of Latin-script schools remained undefined and those schools encountered difficulties in their day-to-day operation, and the obstacles created for free movement of people and goods between the region and the rest of the country in spite of the requirements of international agreements and other decisions regulating the situation in the conflict zone. The delegation stated that the current leadership of the region did not provide positive response or solutions to the issues raised by the Government. 69. The delegation indicated that human rights activists and international organizations working in the human rights field in the region had been operating in a hostile environment and under permanent surveillance and pressure from the Transnistrian security services. With an interest in the development of civil society in the region, the delegation urged the international partners to contribute to the achievement of civil society development in Transnistrian region despite of existing difficulties. 70. The delegation noted the Government‟s efforts undertaken to promote the economic, social, and cultural and education polices in the region. The Government had also created legal mechanisms to guarantee the respect of the constitutional rights of its citizens such as property rights, free access to justice on the region. Furthermore, the Government had been striving to achieve a lasting political solution through negotiations with the final goal of granting a special legal status to the Transnistrian region within the Republic of Moldova based on the principles of the sovereignty and territorial integrity. The final resolution of the conflict should pave the way for building democratic institutions and development of a genuine civil society in the region, as well as the implementation of all international human rights commitments undertaken by the Republic of Moldova. 71. The delegation reported on the increased number of visits to detention places carried out by the national preventive mechanism in the past years. According to the draft 2012 budget, the national preventive mechanism would receive 25 percent more funding than last year, which in turn would allow the mechanism to increase the number of visits to the detention places. 72. In conclusion, the delegation stated that the universal periodic review had enabled the Government to compare its assessment of human rights situation with the views of other United Nations Member States and relevant stakeholders. It reaffirmed the Government‟s commitment to continue its engagement with civil society in the upcoming months while considering further recommendations put forward during the interactive dialogue. 12