This is political absurdity that can leave the Republic of Moldova without an important export market for agricultural products, said representatives of the parliamentary opposition, referring to the authorities’ decision to initiate the withdrawal from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). For their part, representatives of the power said that Moldova’s membership in the CIS brought considerable damage to the country, like bans imposed unjustifiably on Moldovan products and the energy blackmail applied by Russia, IPN reports.
Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu announced that the authorities decided to initiate the procedure for denouncing the agreement on the Interparliamentary Assembly of Member Nations of the CSI. The decision is harshly criticized by the Socialist MPs, who consider that the authorities destroy the economic and commercial relations with the other CIS member states by trying to distance themselves from Russia.
“This is political absurdity. In 2022, the Republic of Moldova’s exports to all the CIS states totaled about US$1 billion. Exports to Kazakhstan last year grew two times, to Armenia – three times. It’s clear that owing to the regional situation, it has been more difficult from logistics viewpoint to export our goods to the Russian Federation. Last year alone, the remittances of our citizens who work in these states came to US$1.5 billion. The agricultural production is traditionally exported to the CIS countries. Wes should also conquer the market of the European Union, but for now we are not competitive on this market,” MP of the Bloc of Communists and Socialists Grigore Novac stated in the program “At 360 Degrees” on Radio Moldova.
For his part, MP of the ruling Party of Action and Solidarity Vasile Grădinaru said the decision to abandon the CIS is correct and was taken in accordance with the citizens’ wish to separate the country from the Russian world. The people expressed this wish in the presidential election of 2020 and in the snap parliamentary elections of 2021.
“This step should have been taken much earlier. I, as a citizen and as an MP, am waiting for a response to the question, what do we do in the CIS? When forming part of a community, this community should normally help us to solve our problems. In fact, it does not help us at all. On the contrary, bans are imposed on us. Instead of having facilitated exports, we experience more problems. Instead of strengthening the Republic of Moldova’s energy independence, we are subject to energy blackmail. Also, this community didn’t help us to settle the Transnistrian conflict that is tens of years old, but there are relevant signed agreements. And what is even worse, Ukraine, which also signed this agreement, could not avoid Russia’s furious attack. An answer to the question, what do we do in the CIS? , was given by the voters in the elections of 2020 and 2021. The people said that we should keep away from the values promoted by the Russian Empire,” stated Vasile Grădinaru.
According to procedures, at the next ordinary meeting of the Parliament’s Standing Bureau, the Speaker will propose requesting the Prime Minister to draft a legislative proposal on the denouncing of the Convention on the Interparliamentary Assembly of Member Nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
