Moldovan parliament speaker comments on country’s withdrawal from founding agreements of Commonwealth of Independent States

By withdrawing from the founding agreements of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), we are clearly stating that we will no longer tolerate double standards and we refuse to be part of a structure that covers up aggression. The truth is simple – you cannot build partnerships where the rules are respected only on paper. Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu has made statements to this effect, after the parliament today supported, in the first reading, the definitive withdrawal of Moldova from the statutory bodies of the CIS.

The official said that Moldova was taking a clear and necessary step towards the future.

“For years, the basic rules of the CIS have been violated without consequences. For years, our territorial integrity has been ignored and our sovereignty trampled underfoot. We no longer have the moral right to pretend that this ‘community’ still functions,” Igor Grosu said.

The speaker noted that, through this decision, the country was clearly aligning itself with the European direction.

“In this way, we are also saving public resources – 3.1 million lei, which represents the annual payment to the CIS budget. At the same time, we will keep the agreements that bring real benefits to citizens and the economy. Our future lies in the European Union, and this is what people asked for at the latest elections,” Igor Grosu emphasized.

The CIS founding Agreement and the Protocol to this Agreement were signed in December 1991 by 11 former Soviet states, including Moldova. The main purpose of the Agreement and the Protocol was to record the cessation of the existence of the USSR and the formation of the CIS. In turn, the CIS Statute, signed in 1993, sets out the basic principles on which the Commonwealth is founded.

After Parliament denounces the Agreements, the relations with CIS member states will continue through bilateral and multilateral platforms, and Moldova will remain a party to more CIS treaties, particularly in the commercial‑economic and social fields.

In the last two years, Moldova has launched a broad process of examining the relevance and applicability of the treaties concluded within the CIS. So far, out of 283 CIS agreements, 71 have already been denounced and approximately 60 are under review.