“Russia is interested in the Moldovan political know–how,” stated the director of the Russian Strategy Research Institute, Yevgeny Kozhokhin, at public debates in Chisinau on Monday, Info-Prim Neo reports. The Russian expert first referred to “the Moldovan Communism”. The Moldovan Communists Party is the only Communist party in power in the former Soviet bloc. Moscow is keenly interested in the course Moldova will choose – oriented toward Russia or toward the European Union, the Russian expert said. Russia also has a Communist party in the Parliament, but that one often “blocks the situation.” In a country with many social problems a strong left-wing party is necessary, having realistic views, Kozhokhin said. The Russian expert says Russia does not hide its interest for the former Soviet space. According to him, “the economic diplomacy” is more and more prevailing in Russia’s ties with the member-states of the Community of Independent States (CIS). “It’s a priority for Russia that the markets of the CIS countries be open for the Russian products,” Kozhokhin said. Those markets are important for Russia because the Russian products are known there, also being luring and attractive in terms of prices, since the living standard there is not too high. According to Yevgeny Kozhokhin , Russia’s interest to keep Russian as a communication language in the former Soviet space is based on economic reasons. In this case Russian is a business tool, easing the dialog. Or, velocity in business is extremely important, the Russian expert said. Other interesting things for Russia, as viewed by Yevgeny Kozhokhin , are countering trafficking in human beings and drugs, fighting crime and diseases as AIDS. The public debates were conducted by the Moldovan Foreign Policy Association.