CHISINAU, April 2. /TASS/. The Moldovan Parliament has given final approval to legislation on withdrawing from the core treaties of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), including the founding treaty, the Charter, and the Alma-Ata Declaration. The decision was enacted through a two-thirds majority vote during a session livestreamed on the legislative body's official website. The bills state: "The Agreement on the Establishment of the Commonwealth of Independent States, signed on December 8, 1991, in Minsk, and the Protocol to the Agreement, signed on December 21, 1991, are hereby denounced. [...] The Charter of the Commonwealth of Independent States, adopted in Minsk on January 22, 1993, is hereby denounced."

Upon approval by the president and entry into force, Moldova will be required to notify the CIS Executive Committee 12 months ahead of its formal withdrawal. Nonetheless, Moldova intends to maintain participation in a number of specific agreements related to economic cooperation, notably the free trade zone agreement. CIS Secretary General Sergey Lebedev, responding to a request from Moldovan legislators, confirmed that 208 CIS agreements remain in effect for Moldova, with 104 relating to economic cooperation. However, Lebedev warned that the denunciation of the Charter could hinder Moldova’s ability to fully implement several other treaties.

Moldova’s stance toward the CIS has shifted notably since Maia Sandu’s election as president in 2020, with her administration emphasizing closer ties to the European Union and declining participation in Commonwealth summits. In February 2023, the Moldovan government announced plans to denounce over 120 CIS agreements, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that internal procedures for terminating 70 treaties have already been completed.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova criticized Chisinau’s approach, describing it as duplicitous. She argued that Moldova is reluctant to relinquish the socio-economic benefits of CIS membership while publicly expressing its desire to withdraw from the organization.