Sandu: The Legality of Moldova's Status in the EAEU Needs to Be Clarified

President-elect of Moldova, head of the Action and Solidarity Party, Maia Sandu, said that the procedure for the republic to obtain observer status at the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) must be checked for legality. "As for the status of observer in the Eurasian Economic Union, there is no certainty that all procedures were followed when approving this decision [from the Moldovan side]. We need to clarify this with the Foreign Minister after I take office," Sandu said in a press release conference on Monday, commenting on the relationship with the EAEU where the republic received observer status in 2018 on the initiative of the incumbent President Igor Dodon, tass.ru reported. Sandu made it clear that she did not consider it necessary to continue the incumbent president’s policy to strengthen relations with this organization. "The Republic of Moldova is part of a free trade agreement within the CIS. <...> Within the framework of this agreement, the only country that we, unfortunately, have difficulties in trade with is the Russian Federation. And we think that these issues can and should be resolved on a bilateral basis, " the current president noted. Dodon's presidential term expires on December 23. By this time, Sandu who was recognized by the Central Election Commission as the winner of the second round of the presidential elections on 15 November, is expected to take office. The results of the elections and the mandate of the new president are to be confirmed by the Constitutional Court of Moldova.