“The Association Agreement, including the Free Trade Agreement, does not run counter to the rules of trading with the member states of the Commonwealth of Independent States. Moreover, Russia can benefit from the possibilities offered to us by the European Union,” Head of Parliament Andrian Candu said in a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Naryshkin in Saint Petersburg, IPN reports, quoting the Parliament’s press service.

The Speaker assured that Moldova is prepared to discuss with Russia all the sensitive issues related to the creation of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement with the EU. Other subjects discussed referred to the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia and the Transnistrian region. In this connection, Adrian Candu announced the creation in the near future of a new working group or of joint commissions for adjusting the Gagauz legislation to the national one.

Also in Saint Petersburg, the Head of Parliament had a meeting with the chairwoman of the Council of the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly Valentina Matviyenko, who heads the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of Russia. Andrian Candu noted that Russia is an important trade partner of Moldova and the ban imposed on the import of Moldovan fruit and vegetables was a regrettable factor that affected to a certain extent the bilateral political dialogue.

The meeting centered on aspects of the trade between the two countries, the situation of the Moldovans working in Russia and the legislative initiative that bans foreign media propaganda on Moldova’s territory.