Gherman to Putin: “Does the CIS Matter to Moldova?”

Moldova will finally leave the CIS by the end of 2024. This was stated by the chair of the Commission for Foreign Policy and European Integration, Doina Gherman. She said that the denounced agreements do not exclude bilateral cooperation with some CIS member states, so this measure will not affect Moldova’s economy. “We have recently denounced three agreements in defense and education. We are almost at the final stage. We aim to finalize everything by the end of 2024. That doesn’t mean that there won’t be small backlogs, but for the most part, almost all the assessments of particular ministries show that we are at the final stage,” Doina Gherman said. The PAS deputy has also refuted the fears of some opposition representatives who claim that Moldova will suffer as a result of leaving the CIS. “This is part of manipulation and disinformation. It is obvious that economically we will have nothing to lose. First of all, if we talk about the agreements strictly economically: we pay annual sums under these agreements. If we terminate these agreements, we will be exempt from the relevant payments. Of course, we have other bilateral agreements with CIS member countries. For 30 years, even if there was an agreement signed, we have never benefited from it,” Gherman claimed. At the same time, the chair of the parliamentary commission for foreign policy responded to a recent statement made by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said that “Moldova does not represent any value for the CIS.” “I heard that Moldova has no value for the CIS. The counter question is: ‘Is the CIS important for Moldova?’,” the PAS deputy asked. The founding documents of the CIS were signed on 21 December 1991. The Moldovan parliament ratified the document on joining this community in 1994.