CHISINAU. Marcy 16 (Interfax) - Moldova's prime minister, Chiril Gaburici, and leader of Transdniestria Yevgeny Shevchuk discussed economic issues and bilateral relations in Chisinau on Saturday.
Shevchuk's meeting with the Moldovan prime minister was the first one over the past 18 months. Former Moldovan prime minister Jurie Leanca and Shevchuk last met in Germany in the autumn of 2013.
"We have discussed a wide spectrum of issues pertaining to bilateral relations, as well as problems which residents on both banks of the Dniester deal with: economic exchanges, trade and Moldovan farmers' access to their land plots in Transdniestria," Gaburici said after the talks.
The Moldovan prime minister said in a statement for the press that the talks also dealt with "creating a climate of trust between the sides, which is expected to shape conditions for restarting the talks in the 5+2 format."
The sides agreed to complete disassembling the cableway between Rezina and Ribnita linking the left and right banks of the Dniester, he said, adding that the cableway was in disrepair and was a hazard to users. It was disassembled on the right bank, last year. This work is to be completed on the left bank now.
Shevchuk, in turn, welcomed the resumption of the dialogue and said this would hopefully help resolve many problems.
"These include non-economic artificial problems which slow trade and economic cooperation, lead to turbulence in the economy, lower the population's living standards and breed poverty. We think these problems must be tackled jointly with the neighbors on a mutually beneficial basis. The population's interests and effective solution of the problems must become the locomotive of the negotiating process," Shevchuk said.
The dialogue must be promoted without harming the other party, with trust and respect for the partner. All the agreements reached must be implemented," he said.
Gaburici and Shevchuk announced that an agreement had been reached to hold a meeting on March 20 between the leaders of the working groups by branches, set up a few years ago but going defunct last year.
After this meeting the groups are expected to restart the discussion of the entire agenda in order to create conditions for further talks.
Saturday's talks lasted for about two hours and were capped by signing a protocol on the extension of the agreement on the transportation of cargo and passenger rail services in the Transdniestrian region, an Interfax correspondent reported.