Dodon and Putin Met in Moscow

Moldovan President Igor Dodon during his official visit to Moscow met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. During the meeting, they agreed to increase the export of Moldovan products to the Russian market, continue the amnesty of Moldovan citizens who violated the migration legislation of the Russian Federation, and discussed the possibility of attracting Russian investments in Moldova, the Kremlin press service reports. At the meeting, Putin noted that Moldova remains one of Russia’s priority partners in the CIS space. “Import from Moldova to Russia last year grew by 40%, and in the first half of this year it increased by another 14%. Wine production relatively recently returned to the Russian market, but the indicators are steadily growing. If last year wine deliveries amounted to 14 million liters, then in the first half of this year, 8.5 million liters were already imported”, the Russian president noted. Dodon, in turn, thanked Putin for his assistance in obtaining Moldova the status of observer of the Eurasian Economic Union. The President of Moldova also stressed that Russia remains a strategic partner in solving the Transnistrian problem, and the Russian peacekeepers are the guarantor of a peaceful situation. He assured that the Left Bank also adheres to this point of view. Igor Dodon shared with the results of this meeting at his Facebook page. He wrote that from January 1, 2019, Russia will abolish import duties on Moldovan fresh and canned vegetables and fruits, as well as wine. Dodon also said that Moldovan citizens in Russia will be able to continue to use the migration amnesty. In addition, the parties agreed to declare 2019 the Year of Moldova in Russia, and the 2020th will be the year of Russia in Moldova.