CHISINAU, August 11. /TASS/. The government of Moldova needs to return to cooperation with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) to defend its national and economic interests amid a crisis in the European Union, said Igor Dodon, the Eastern European nation’s former president and leader of its largest opposition Party of Socialists, said.
"More and more countries are seeking observer status in the Eurasian Economic Union. Myanmar, Nicaragua and Venezuela have already filed their requests, and Cuba got the status back in 2020. Tunisia and Egypt are also named among potential candidates for the observer status. Simultaneously, the EAEU has been expanding cooperation with other nations, developing free trade zones," Dodon wrote on Telegram.
He said that during his presidency, Moldova became the first country to be granted EAEU observer status in May 2018.
"Sadly, the current government, in fact, rejected the platform and the opportunities for developing the economic cooperation that it presents. Amid the crises in energy, migration and economy, which the European Union is experiencing now, its initial idea - the integration of European countries with economic cooperation at its core <…> - is facing serious challenges today. Against this backdrop, other integration platforms, such as the EAEU, BRICS, and the SCO [Shanghai Cooperation Organization], are gaining importance and becoming more attractive," the ex-president said.
In his opinion, the government needs to make a pragmatic assessment of the ongoing changes and use all available international platforms to defend its national and economic interests.
Relations between Moldova and Russia deteriorated after Sandu and the Party of Action and Solidarity came to power and embarked on a policy of severing ties with Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The policy has plunged the country into an economic crisis, while the opposition points out that the government, pressured by the West, is working to replicate the Ukraine scenario in Moldova.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said on numerous occasions that Russia is seeking to have friendly relations with Moldova, but the West is using this country to pursue its anti-Russian policies and goals.