Der Spiegel writes that Moldova’s final withdrawal was initiated in late January by the country’s Foreign Minister Mihail Popşoi: “The decision is explained by the fact that Russia, according to Chisinau, violates the principle of inviolability of member states’ borders, including because of the war against neighboring Ukraine. At the same time, the German edition quoted PSRM leader Igor Dodon: “In Moscow, a member of parliament said that Moldova’s withdrawal from the organization could lead the country to the same scenario as Ukraine”.
“Moldova aspires to join the EU,” Berliner Zeitung writes, “Moldova’s parliament said on its website that the foreign ministry initiated the withdrawal primarily because Moscow violated one of the key principles of the CIS. This principle provides for mutual recognition by states of each other’s territorial integrity”.
Another influential German publication Tagesspiegel writes: “Because Moscow does not respect borders – Moldova is withdrawing from the Russian-dominated CIS association.” “EU accession is seen as a long-term goal that promises economic benefits and political stability. The Moldovan government has already started a series of reforms to meet EU standards and hopes that leaving the CIS will accelerate this process,” the author notes.
Die Zeit calls Moldova’s withdrawal from the CIS “a logical step, as the country aspires to join the European Union.” At the same time, the publication notes the ambiguous attitude of citizens to this course: “Moldova has been a candidate for EU accession since 2022. However, the society in the country is divided on this issue: in the constitutional referendum at the end of 2024, the majority voted in favor of joining the EU by a margin of only 0.7 percentage points”.
“Moldova is turning its back on Russia’s CIS power bloc and aiming for the EU,” the Swiss newspaper Tagesanzeiger wrote. “Moldova’s parliament has cemented the country’s exit from the CIS. Russia’s war against Ukraine and the presence of Russian troops in Transnistria, the authorities said, left Chisinau with no choice.”
“Under the leadership of President Maya Sandu and her Action and Solidarity Party, the country is strengthening ties with Europe while distancing itself from Moscow,” this is the conclusion of the Bulgarian news agency BGNES.
Polish Radio 24.pl drew attention to the “financial benefits” that Moldova’s exit from the CIS would bring: “Moldova will not pay membership fees.
Another Warsaw-based publication DoRzeczy gives the position of the Russian Foreign Ministry, which is that “Moldova cannot unilaterally decide which agreements to keep”.
România-Actualități also gives the reaction of the Foreign Ministry: “The authorities in Chisinau should ask the citizens before Moldova leaves the CIS”.
We shall remind you that on Thursday, April 2, the Moldovan parliament voted by 60 votes in the second and final reading for the denunciation of the agreement on the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the relevant Protocol and the Charter of the organization.
