The Chisinau and Tiraspol expert groups on transportation and road issues held their first working meeting after a along pause in the Bender Office of the OSCE Mission to Moldova on Wednesday. In the presence of European Union and OSCE representatives, the groups discussed acute transportation problems.

Emphasis was put on passenger transportation issues. The Transnistrian delegation head, "deputy minister of economy" Alexander Rosenberg complained that many Transnistrian route have lately become non-profitable because Moldovan carriers work on these lines, too. He proposed to optimize the route network, agree upon common movement schedules, and cancel inefficient lines.

Rosenberg said that with an account of the road rehabilitation program being implemented in the mainland Moldova, an analogous rehabilitation should be made on the Transnistrian sections of international roads.

"We must have same highway pavement quality, which is achievable only through practicing a fair, equal approach to financing of highway rehabilitation projects on both Nistru banks. Transnistria is unable to carry out such works independently", stated the Transnistrian Deputy Minister.

The transport and road groups will convene for their next working meeting in the Chisinau Office of the OSCE Mission to Moldova in mid-December. At it, Tiraspol will raise the questions of issuing international transport permits to Transnistrian truck companies and of resuming full-bodied railroad traffic via the Transnistrian region.

Next week, expert groups on environment protection, agriculture, health and social protection policies will resume work in Bender.