The barbed-wire fence along the border of Moldova and Romania will be dismantled

Fence between countries to be melted - UPI.com

CHISINAU, Moldova, Jan. 21 (UPI) -- The barbed-wire fence along the border of Moldova and Romania will be dismantled and the metal melted for a bridge between the countries, officials said.

Moldovan Prime Minister Vlad Filat said the fenced border with a "friend country" in the 21st century, when people freely travel Europe, is "embarrassing," the Romanian Web site HotNews.ro reported Thursday.

Several local mayors, however, said they wanted to keep the fence in certain places, either for ecological reasons or concerns about the safety and protection of citizens.

Filat signed a measure on Jan. 9 ordering the fence's removal. Details of dismantling it are to be determined by the end of the month.