Question: On January 19, Moldovan Foreign Minister Mihai Popșoi announced the initiation of a process to denounce three fundamental CIS documents: the Commonwealth Charter, the Agreement on the Establishment of the CIS, and its Protocol. According to him, this will grant Chișinău “the right to say that Moldova is no longer a member of the CIS.” How would you comment on this?
Maria Zakharova: The Moldovan authorities have on numerous occasions declared their intention to, in their own words, undertake a “civilised divorce” from the Commonwealth of Independent States.
For several years now, Chișinău has been systematically distancing itself from the Commonwealth: it does not participate in meetings of its statutory bodies, does not contribute its share to the organisation’s budget, and selectively denounces agreements it claims hold no added value for its citizens. It is important to note, however, that Moldova remains a party to approximately 200 international treaties concluded within the CIS framework, covering virtually all spheres of interstate cooperation.
It is crucial, however, to understand that withdrawing from CIS membership requires adherence to the established procedure. According to Article 9 of the CIS Charter, a member state may withdraw by notifying the CIS Executive Committee in writing, which triggers a 12-month period. Following this notification, the date from which this one-year period begins is determined, and a formal process begins to inventory all treaties and decisions of CIS bodies to which the withdrawing state is a party.
This process results in the compilation of lists detailing which agreements will cease to apply and which the state may choose to retain. Therefore, withdrawal does not happen overnight; compliance with this procedure constitutes an international obligation of Moldova towards all other CIS member states, not merely Russia.
While the decision to initiate the denunciation of thecore treaties within the CIS framework is undoubtedly the sovereign right of the Republic of Moldova, within the country itself it has been widely characterised as further evidence of the government’s short-sighted foreign policy, as it recklessly prioritises exclusive cooperation with the European Union while severing long-standing ties across the Eurasian space.
It is a difficult assessment to dispute. The current socio-economic situation in Moldova can only be described as disastrous. According to its own National Bureau of Statistics, from January to November 2025, the country’s imports exceeded exports by more than fourfold, with the trade deficit growing by 29.5 percent compared to the same period in 2024.
Simultaneously, Moldovan exports to EU countries fell by 4 percent by the end of the first half of 2025. Real incomes continue to decline against a backdrop of rising prices for food and essential services. The poverty rate now exceeds 30 percent, with approximately 65 percent of the population living on low incomes. In essence, Moldova’s entire socio-economic framework is now dependent on external funding, predominantly from the EU, leaving the nation firmly in the grip of European debt.
In stark contrast, the CIS remains a respected and dynamically growing organisation in the post-Soviet space. According to the CIS Interstate Statistical Committee, the economies of its member states demonstrated positive growth across most key indicators in the first half of 2025. Compared to the same period last year, the Commonwealth’s aggregate GDP grew by 2.2 percent, industrial production by 4.7 percent, freight traffic by 6.0 percent, and retail turnover by 3.2 percent. Mutual trade between CIS countries has increased by 18 percent over the past four years. The figures speak for themselves.
Ultimately, Chișinău’s destructive course is ricocheting primarily onto the citizens of Moldova, whose interests are being sacrificed to Brussels’s geopolitical ambitions. The results of this anti-popular policy are already plain to see: a once-prosperous nation is being transformed into a land of deepening poverty and lawlessness. It is indeed a bitter spectacle to witness.