Moldova to Receive Bill for Unpaid CIS Membership Contributions After Withdrawal

Moldova will be required to settle several years of unpaid mandatory contributions to the unified budget of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) following its withdrawal from the organization, CIS Secretary General Sergey Lebedev has said. “Moldova has not paid its contributions to the CIS unified budget for several years, so experts have now calculated the amount it is required to reimburse. Most likely, it will be presented with a bill,” Lebedev said, as quoted by gazeta.ru. Lebedev said he could not predict whether the outstanding debt would ultimately be recovered but expressed hope that Moldova would pay the accumulated amount. In March, Moldova’s withdrawal from the CIS founding agreements, including the Agreement Establishing the Commonwealth of Independent States, the CIS Charter, and the Alma-Ata Declaration, was approved by President Maia Sandu and entered into force. In addition, the government formally denounced the CIS Charter, which had been signed in Minsk on January 22, 1993.