MPs of the Action and Solidarity Party (PAS) ask the MPs, especially those of the Democratic Party, to attentively analyze some of the provisos of the lending agreement with Russia as they are detrimental. In a news conference on April 22, they said the agreement should be renegotiated, IPN reports.

“The document should be reviewed. The country indeed needs financial resources, especially in this difficult period, but we cannot overlook some of the provisions that can make the country heavily indebted during many years to come. Why should the state, we, the taxpayers, repay the debts of business entities that will borrow money from Russian banks? We haven’t received answers to this question, only assurances that everything will be fine. We, the PAS MPs, call on the MPs, especially those of the Democratic Party, where internal discussions are presumably held on these questions raised by us and by players of civil society, to leave the party interests aside and think about the future of this country,” said Igor Grosu, the leader of the PAS’s group.

MP Sergiu Litvinenco noted some of the provisions oblige the Republic of Moldova to assume responsibility for debts of business entities that borrowed money from Russian banks, if these loans had been coordinated with the Moldovan side. “I navigated the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ website where all the agreements signed by the Russian Federation since the declaring of independence were published. The Russian Federation didn’t impose such a clause on any of the countries with which it signed financing agreements. The Republic of Moldova is the only country facing such a condition. We wonder to what extent is this loan advantageous, fraternal, as Dodon says? Or this is a loan by which the Russian Federation imposes conditions that weren’t imposed even on such countries as Bangladesh and Venezuela,” he stated.

According to the MP, this agreement is absolutely detrimental to Moldova and should be renegotiated by excusing those toxic provisions as Moldova now indeed needs financing.

The bill to ratify the lending agreement between the Government of the Republic of Moldova and the Government of the Russian Federation concerning the provision of a state financial loan was approved by the Cabinet on April 21. According to the authorities, the agreement does not stipulate commission for the disbursement or non-disbursement of the loan, but allows for the repayment of the loan in advance at any opportune moment.