CHISINAU, April 16. /TASS/. The authorities of Moldova made a fatal mistake by hastily deciding to withdraw from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in deference to their Western backers, a move that will lead to new economic problems after five years in power have plunged the country into a severe crisis, former Moldovan president and leader of the country’s largest opposition Party of Socialists, Igor Dodon, told TASS commenting on the decision by the republic’s Foreign Ministry to send a notification to Minsk regarding withdrawal from the organization in April next year.
"The initiative to exit the CIS was adopted to please the handlers of President Maia Sandu in Brussels, but it fully contradicts the interests of our country, which during the years of rule by her Party of Action and Solidarity has found itself in a deep crisis due to policies of breaking ties with Russia and CIS countries. Sandu and her team are trying to satisfy external patrons in order to remain in power amid economic decline and the impoverishment of the population, which did not support this government in presidential or parliamentary elections or in the referendum on joining the EU that they organized. It is becoming obvious that our country will not be able to join the European Union in the foreseeable future, as Brussels has made clear that this is impossible without resolving the Transnistria issue and without Ukraine, whose European prospects are even more uncertain. By leaving the CIS, we are turning our country into a gray zone - without investment, without exports, without economic growth, and with external debt having doubled. This will lead to further outflow of people from the country and complicate the resolution of the Transnistria issue, in which Russia plays an important role," Dodon said.
He stressed that while declaring a break with the CIS, the Moldovan leadership is still promising to preserve visa-free travel and a free trade zone with CIS countries.
"These promises fully contradict their thesis that the CIS is allegedly non-functional and that participation in it brings no benefits. We see that Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and other EU countries, on the contrary, are advocating expanded cooperation with Russia, which is especially necessary amid the unfolding global energy crisis. Our authorities, contrary to the country’s interests, are severing long-standing ties with eastern markets and energy supplies," Dodon added.
Moldova’s withdrawal from the CIS
Earlier this month, decisions to withdraw Moldova from the CIS founding agreements, including the agreement establishing the organization, its charter and the Alma-Ata Declaration, were approved by Sandu and entered into force. Chisinau subsequently notified the CIS Executive Committee and received confirmation.
Formally, Moldova’s withdrawal from the CIS will take effect in April next year, 12 months after notification. In practice, however, the country’s participation in the organization has been largely nominal in recent years. Russian President Vladimir Putin previously described Moldova as among those that are "formally members but do not actively participate." The Kremlin has also noted that the CIS has demonstrated its usefulness to member states over many years.
Moldova’s stance toward the CIS began to change after Sandu’s victory in the 2020 presidential election, when she declared a course toward EU integration and stopped attending CIS summits. In February 2023, the government announced plans to denounce numerous agreements concluded within the CIS framework. According to the Foreign Ministry, internal procedures have been completed for withdrawal from 70 agreements, with plans to denounce another 60. At the same time, Moldova intends to retain participation in a number of agreements related to economic relations.