Foreign affairs minister says Moldova initiates denunciation of 3 agreements on country’s membership in Commonwealth of Independent States; to no longer be part of CIS

Moldova has initiated the process of denouncing three fundamental agreements that underpin its membership in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Affairs Minister Mihai Popsoi has made statements to this effect at a programme on Radio Moldova. He specified that the documents are to be examined at the very beginning of the new parliamentary session.

“I want to make a statement for the first time: we are already in the process of getting approvals for the denunciation of three agreements with the CIS. They are the agreements that form the basis of our affiliation to the CIS, namely: the CIS Statute, signed in Minsk on January 22, 1993; the CIS Founding Agreement of December 8, 1991, also from Minsk; and the Annex to this agreement of December 22, 1991,” Popsoi said.

Asked what this decision implies for Moldova, the official said:

“Officially, Moldova will no longer be a CIS member. The denunciation of these three basic agreements, which lie at the foundation of our affiliation, will allow us to say that, from a legal standpoint, the Republic of Moldova is no longer a member. De facto, we suspended our participation some time ago, but legally we were still there,” the minister also said.

He noted that the process had already begun:

“We have taken this decision recently and the approval procedure is under way. The denunciation documents will be submitted to parliament, so that lawmakers can decide on them. We will probably complete the procedures in the government by mid‑February, after which the decision will be taken by the parliament,” the official concluded.

Mihai Popsoi pointed out that this measure clarified the legal status of the Republic of Moldova in relation to the CIS and represented an important step in strengthening the country’s European orientation.

In total, Moldova had 283 agreements signed with the CIS; 71 have already been denounced, and another about 60 are in process.