Voronin-Smirnov meeting canceled

The meeting between Moldova's President Vladimir Voronin and Transnistria's leader Igor Smirnov will not take place on September 25 as planned, Info-Prim Neo reports. The Moldovan Ministry of Reintegration told reporters on Wednesday ahead of the Cabinet's meeting that the parties disagreed on the place of the meeting. While the Moldovan side suggested the towns of Anenii Noi or Dubsari as potential locations, the Transnistrian counterparts insisted on Bender. The Transnistrian MFA was quoted by the official agency Olvia-press as stating that the meeting between the two leaders was canceled because of the Moldovan side. The initiative of holding a meeting similar to the one organized in Bender on April 11 came from the Transnistrian side. During negotiations, Transnistria's representatives first suggested that the meeting should take place on September 18 or 19, and then came up with the proposal to hold it on September 22. The Moldovan party rejected all the offers, citing the busy agenda of the Moldovan President. Later, Igor Smirnov proposed that the meeting takes place on September 24 or 25 in Bender, yet the Moldovan authorities proposed Anenii Noi. “This approach contradicts the terms of the meeting initially agreed upon. Additionally, the Moldovan side left unsettled the issue concerning the security and immunity of the Transnistrian officials on Moldovan territory, given that criminal proceedings against Tiraspol's leadership are still active and ongoing”, the Transnistrian MFA says. Last time Vladimir Voronin and Igor Smirnov met on 11 April 2008 after a 7-year break. Yesterday, Voronin crossed the Nistru River to the territory controlled by Smirnov to visit his native village Condrita.