Authorities will attempt to open polling stations for 2009 legislative elections in Transnistria, Reintegration Ministry

The Moldovan authorities will try to open polling places for the 2009 parliamentary elections on the left bank of the Nistru. Earlier, the central authorities’ attempts failed as the Transnistrian authorities refused to cooperate. This subject was discussed by Reintegration Minister Vasilii Sova and the Head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova Philip Remler at a meeting, Info-Prim Neo reports. “The two officials discussed the preparation and organization of this spring’s elections in the settlements located on the left bank of the Nistru,” the Reintegration Ministry says in a communiqué. According to the quoted source, Sova and Remler reasserted their readiness to resume the talks in the 5+2 format. “A definite solution to the conflict should be identified at talks in namely this format,” they stressed. The interlocutors also spoke about the necessity of immediately removing the obstacles that hinder the free movement of people, goods and services between the two banks of the Nistru. It should be noted that the Transnistrian authorities raised the taxes for entering and staying in Transnistria from 8 to 22 lei on January 1, 2009. At a meeting with Moldova’s President Vladimir Voronon in December last year, the Transnistrian leader Igor Smirnov said that they would be cancelled. Philip Remler said that a delegation of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly headed by its President Joao Soares and delegations composed of representatives of Greece, which holds the OSCE presidency this year, are set to pay a visit to Chisinau in February. “One of the major aims of the visit is to work out practical solutions for solving the Transnistrian dispute,” the communiqué says.