OSCE officials meet with Metropolitan Vladimir

The Head of OSCE Mission to Moldova, Ambassador Jennifer Brush, met with his Holiness Metropolitan Vladimir, this being the first time that the OSCE Mission to Moldova has officially met with the head of the Moldovan Orthodox Church, the Mission said in a press release. Jennifer Brush was accompanied by Jan Plesinger, deputy head of the OSCE Mission. “I appreciate the opportunity to meet with his Holiness, as it is important for me to meet the relevant actors and stakeholders on both banks of the Nistru. The Church has a unique position in Moldova. It stands for traditions and values, cherished on both sides of the river, and is an important partner in a process of reconciliation after the conflict,” said Jennifer Brush after the meeting. The OSCE officials and Metropolitan Vladimir discussed issues including the reconstruction of churches on both sides of the Nistru, land restitution after the independence of the Republic of Moldova, the relationship with the Metropolitan of Bessarabia and possible future cooperation with Orthodox charity organizations. Conflict settlement was also discussed during the meeting, and Jennifer Brush welcomed the initiative shown by the Moldovan Orthodox Church in the settlement process, including through organizing a recent joint visit of Moldovan Prime Minister Vlad Filat and Transnistrian leader Yevgeny Shevchuk to Mount Athos in Greece. Metropolitan Vladimir briefed his interlocutors on the Church's most important recent social activities and thanked them for their suggestions and considerations, stating that the Church of Moldova was further willing to engage in dialogue and cooperate with all the organizations in Moldova working to build and promote stability and good social relations.