CHISINAU, May 23. /TASS/. Moldova’s parliamentary opposition is concerned about calls from the country’s top officials’ that Moldova exit the CIS, believing that these calls run counter to the republic’s national interests, representatives of the opposition Bloc of Communists and Socialists stated in the parliament Tuesday.
"We categorically condemn these populist statements that have nothing to do with the agenda and interests of Moldovan citizens. […] They are made demonstratively to please Western supervisors, but this will cause very serious problems for our country’s economy," says Socialist leader Igor Dodon.
In his opinion, although Moldova’s trade ties with CIS states have become weaker in recent years, they still remain important both for the realization of the republic’s export potential and for the import of a number of goods that are either difficult or economically unfeasible to replace with supplies from other countries. He pointed out that the CIS consumes up to 40% of Moldova’s agricultural produce, up to 90% of its apple exports, about 60% of its canned vegetables, about 25% of the juice produced in the country and 40% of Moldova’s wine. He noted that these final products have a higher added value, unlike Moldova’s exports to the EU, which is mainly supplied with raw materials, processing them and exporting them back to Moldova as final products.
The ex-president also pointed out that, while Moldovan wine contributed to up to 80% of Russia’s wine market in the early 2000s, now it only contributes at a clip of 5%.
"Losing is easy, while coming back is difficult, and considering the level of competition, it is sometimes impossible," he said.
In addition, the lawmakers in attendance noted that hundreds of thousands of Moldovan citizens live in CIS countries and enjoy various benefits and advantages.
Moldova’s attitude to the CIS started to change after the 2020 presidential election was won by Maia Sandu, who never attended a CIS summit. This year, the republic’s rhetoric towards the Commonwealth has become even harsher: Foreign Minister Nicolae Popescu announced the initiation of the denunciation of a number of agreements, signed within the association, while Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu initiated Moldova’s exit from the CIS Inter-parliamentary Assembly.