CHISINAU, March 20. /TASS/. The head of the Moldavian-Russian Business Union, former President of Moldova Igor Dodon told TASS that he intends to take part in the work of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) to solve problems in the republic’s economy.

"I intend to take part in the work of SPIEF. The business union, which I head, is designed to promote the interests of Moldovan business in Russia, the growth of Russian investments in our economy. This is especially relevant in the period when, after the change of power in Moldova, as well as the conflict on the territory of Ukraine, many problems in economic relations between our countries are not being resolved. The forum in St. Petersburg is an excellent platform for discussing them and finding solutions," said Dodon, who also heads the country's largest opposition Party of Socialists.

He recalled that after President Maia Sandu and her Party of Action and Solidarity came to power, relations between Russia and Moldova worsened, which led to a crisis situation in the country's economy.

"The policy of Sandu and her party to curtail cooperation with Russia and the CIS has led to the most difficult economic situation in the last two decades. Our producers have lost their main sales markets, prices for gas, electricity and other goods have increased significantly, inflation has jumped to a record level, and poverty is growing. Hundreds of thousands of Moldovan citizens in Russia are going through difficult times, they have been limited in their ability to visit their relatives in Moldova and send them money. All polls show that the overwhelming majority of Moldovan citizens are in favor of Sandu and the government establishing cooperation with Russia in the interests of the people, but they do not able to do this," Dodon said.

Relations between Chisinau and Moscow have deteriorated since Sandu was elected president in 2020. After the elections, she announced that she plans to go to Russia to discuss important problems of bilateral relations, including the export of Moldovan products, gas supplies, as well as support for Moldovan citizens who work in Russia. However, the visit did not take place, the leadership of Moldova began to curtail cooperation within the CIS, and with the start of the special operation in Ukraine, it took the side of the West and sharply criticizes Moscow. Since 2022, broadcasting of a number of Russian media has been banned in the republic, a large group of Russian diplomats have been expelled from Chisinau.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called on the Moldovan authorities to stop confrontational anti-Russian rhetoric, with which they want to deflect blame for the failure of socio-economic policy. A survey by the Moldovan sociological company Intellect Group published in July last year showed that the majority of Moldovan citizens (57%) do not support the authorities’ course towards worsening relations with Russia. Approximately the same number of respondents believe that Sandu should go to Moscow to negotiate gas prices and other important issues. Only 16.4% of respondents support the policy of the President of Moldova.

The 27th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum will be held on 5-8 June 2024.