Success of Filat - Smirnov meeting was ensured by foreign partners, Embassy of Ukraine

The meeting of Prime Minister of Moldova Vlad Filat and the leader of the breakaway republic of Transnistria Igor Smirnov, held on the sidles of a conference in Germany’s Bad Reichenhall, was possible owing to the thorough preparations made by the international participants in the Transnistrian conflict settlement talks, Info-Prim Neo reports, quoting a communiqué from the Ukrainian Embassy in Moldova. A conference aimed at strengthening the measures to build confidence between the banks of the Nistru River took place in Bad Reichenhall on September 8-9, under the auspices of the OSCE. The Ukrainian side was represented by the Special Representative of Ukraine to the Transnistrian conflict settlement talks Igor Harchenko and Ukraine’s Ambassador to Moldova Serghei Pyrozhkov. In the meeting, it was agreed to continue work to restore the freight train routes via the Transnistrian regime and the telephone connection between the banks of the river. The participants exchanged opinions as to the solutions that may be identified at the official talks in the 5 +2 format that are expected to be resumed soon. In this connection, the Ukrainian side welcomed the effort made by Germany and the OSCE to promote the direct contacts between the leaders of Moldova and Transnistria. Ukraine and the other international players involved in the negotiations in 5+2 format hope that the official talks will be resumed after the second stage of the meeting that will take place in Moscow later this month, so that the problems faced by the people living on the two banks are solved as soon as possible, the Embassy of Ukraine said.