MOSCOW, October 31. /TASS/. Moldova’s President Igor Dodon believes that his Wednesday meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin was a breakthrough.
"It is my second official visit to Russia. It is a breakthrough, primarily thanks to the decisions we made today," Dodon said in an exclusive interview with TASS First Deputy Director General Mikhail Gusman.
"They are the decisions that have been long awaited by citizens of the Republic of Moldova," he said.
According to Dodon, decisions were related to four practical fields.
"First, it is export. As you know, our manufacturers have begun to return to the Russian market in the past eighteen months, thanks to adopted agreements. Today, we agreed that some goods, namely vegetables and fruit, canned fruit and vegetables along with wine products, will be exempt from duties for six months starting from January 1, 2019 so that these goods can get to the Russian market," Dodon said.
"The second decision was about Moldovan citizens. More than 500,000 of our citizens work in Russia. Of those, about 200,000 have somehow breached migration requirements. We have agreed that in the coming months, amnesty will be announced under Articles 26 and 27 of Russia’s migration legislation," the Moldovan president said.
"We have agreed to consider that the year of 2019 should be declared as Moldova’s Year in Russia, while 2020 as Russia’s Year in the Republic of Moldova," he said.
"Apart from that, I asked to increase the number of state-funded places for guys from Moldova who are eager to study in Russia. I was told that the request would be considered," Dodon said.
"And finally, I put forward a proposal that the Russian side would view a possibility to fund infrastructure projects bridging the left and right banks [of the Dniester River]. For example, why not repair the road connecting Chisinau and Tiraspol? Vladimir Vladimirovich [Putin] said that the idea was interesting and they were ready to tackle it," the Moldovan president concluded.