MOSCOW, January 20. /TASS/. The Moldovan authorities’ recent statement on the country’s withdrawal from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) did not come as a surprise to Russia, as for a long time Moldova's participation in the work of the CIS was in a "frozen" state, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.
Earlier, Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mihai Popsoi said that Chisinau had started to denounce key agreements with the CIS.
"No, it [Moldova’s statement] did not come as a surprise," Peskov said at a news briefing. "The thing is that Moldova’s participation in the CIS has remained in a frozen state for a long time."
He noted that the republic did not participate in the work of the organization: "Moldova de facto did not take part in the work and, of course, it was clear that sooner or later this frozen state would be formalized."
Peskov stressed that the CIS has proven its usefulness over the years and one can only regret Moldova's policy of rejecting any relations with Russia.
"One can only express regret here, the CIS is an integration format that over the years has repeatedly confirmed its usefulness for the participating countries, it is an operational format, it is a good platform on which more advanced integrations are taking shape," he noted.
Peskov stated that in this case "it will only be possible to express regret that Moldova continues its policy of rejecting any relations with Russia and with integration processes."
Moldova's attitude towards the CIS began to change after Sandu's victory in the presidential elections in 2020. Sandu declared a course towards integration into the European Union and refused to participate in the CIS summits.
In February 2023, the government announced plans to denounce over 120 of the 282 agreements signed within the CIS. Deputy Prime Minister Mihai Popsoi said Chisinau does not intend to denounce important and useful agreements.