Moldova parliament seals final CIS exit as Chisinau deepens its break with Moscow

Moldova made the final decision to leave the Commonwealth of Independent States after the country’s parliament approved in a second reading the denunciation of the agreement establishing the CIS, the related protocol and the CIS charter, Deschide.md reported on April 2.

The move was backed by 60 lawmakers from the ruling PAS party, Democracy at Home and several members of the Alternative Bloc.

Moldova’s Foreign Ministry initiated the denunciation of the agreements. The ministry said the country had decided to leave the CIS because Russia had violated the bloc’s core principles, including the “recognition and mutual respect for territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders,” while Chisinau had set a course toward European integration and EU membership.

On March 11, the government of the Republic of Moldova approved the denunciation of the CIS’s founding documents, thus launching the procedure for the country’s final withdrawal from the organization.

On March 21, Moldova’s parliament approved in a first reading the denunciation of the agreement establishing the CIS.

To date, Moldova has denounced about 70 CIS agreements as part of efforts to align national policy and modernize its legislative and economic framework in line with EU standards and norms.