Moldova's opposition leader criticizes moves on Moldovan - Romanian border

09:50, 12 February 2010

MOSCOW. February 12. KAZINFORM. Moldovan authorities' decision to dismantle wire entanglements on the border with Romania will bring benefits to no one but smugglers, the country's former President Vladimir Voronin who leads the political opposition at the moment said Thursday in the course of a Chisinau-Moscow televised linkup; Kazinform refers to Itar-Tass.

Earlier in the day, the authorities began to dismantle barbed wire obstacles installed on the border between the former Moldovan Soviet Socialist Republic and Romania back in the Soviet era.

The order to remove the 360 kilometers-long fencing on the river Prut was issued by Prime Minister Vlad Filat in January.

"It's simply a crime in the face of the whole country to dismantle the border protections while an agreement on the Moldovan-Romanian state border is yet absent," Voronin said.

Romania and Moldova have a common language and centuries of common history. Following the disintegration of the former USSR, Bucharest recognized Moldova's independence but it has been refusing to sign an agreement on the state border an a basic treaty, coordination of which has been dragging feet for almost 15 years by now; Kazinform cites Itar-Tass. See www.itar-tass.com for full version.

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