CHISINAU, August 28. /TASS/. Moldovan President Igor Dodon has pointed to the importance of sustaining good ties with Russia, as the destinies of hundreds of thousands of Moldova’s citizens depend on it. In an interview with the NTV Moldova broadcast on Monday, the head of state drew attention to the fact that the upbeat tone in relations between the two countries made it possible for tens of thousands of Moldovans to get new jobs this year alone.
"Thanks to the fact that I have reached an agreement with the Russian authorities, with [Russian President] Vladimir Putin and the market has opened up, tens of thousands of people in Moldova obtained employment this year," Dodon noted. According to the president, this opportunity emerged after unblocking the exports of Moldova’s crop production.
Dodon condemned the country’s government, which, in his view, is stirring up a confrontation between the two countries. "I am in opposition to the parliamentary majority and the government, which declare [Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry] Rogozin or five Russian diplomats persona-non-grata when they see that I have been able to achieve something," the president noted.
Throughout the years of Moldova’s independence, unemployment has forced nearly one-third of its citizens - about 1 million people - to leave the country in search of jobs. More than half of them find employment in Russia. According to the National Bank of Moldova, more than $1 bln were received from Moldovan migrant workers through fast money transfer systems last year, including about $400 mln from Russia.
The two countries’ presidents earlier agreed on an amnesty for a number of Moldovan citizens who violated the Russian migration legislation.