In the coming days, the Russian Federation will grant a sufficient number of authorizations, initially one thousand, in order to unlock the exports of good from Moldova to the Russian market, by auto transport. The news was announced by Prime Minister Ion Chicu in a press conference, held on Wednesday evening, November 20, upon his return from the Russian Federation.
According to the head of the executive, the problem of international exporters, who could not operate on the Russian market due to the lack of transport permits, was solved. Russian partners called for the implementation of a transparent mechanism and the elimination of corruption in the permit distribution process. In this regard, the head of the cabinet of ministers talked about the proposal to issue these authorizations directly to the carriers at the customs.
Ion Chicu said that the medium term foreign trade liberalization process was launched, so that all Moldovan exports could be operated free of customs taxes. Until then, the Russian authorities adopted an agreement in principle to expand the list of types of goods, from five to ten, that are customs tax free. This list covers almost 70% of goods exported to the Russian market. The term of the agreement in principle was extended beyond January 1, 2020.
Additionally, the two sides agreed upon the list of Moldovan companies authorized to export to the Russian market, including winemakers. In this regard, the Moldovan and Russian authorities will intensify the quality and compliance checks of the respective companies, which are potential exporters.
Ion Chicu added that the agreement in principle was reached regarding the opening of a credit line of about $500 million, which will exclusively be directed towards investment projects. The relevant ministries of both countries will engage in talks regarding the conditions for granting this loan.
President Igor Dodon said in a public television broadcast that the first installment of $300 million of the Russian loan will be directed mainly towards the construction of roads, including Chișinău's ring road.
