Moldova denounces agreement on Commonwealth of Independent States Interparliamentary Assembly

Moldova’s parliament announced Friday that it denounced the agreement on the Interparliamentary Assembly of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS IPA) in the first reading.

“The proposal to denounce the Convention regarding the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly belongs to the President of the Parliament, Igor Grosu, as the Republic of Moldova no longer resonates with the current policies, objectives and decisions of the CIS IPA, as well as in the context of our country's firm declaration to follow the European vector,” the parliament said in a statement.

The statement said Chisinau maintains relations with member states of the CIS IPA on the bilateral level, noting that the country has not approved any participation in events by the body since the beginning of 2023 based on “the political context of the region.”

“Denunciation of the convention will not affect the rights and obligations of the Republic of Moldova in relation to other parties to the treaty and third parties,” it said.

It also said that, according to the Moldovan Interior Ministry, the denunciation of the agreement results from “its lack of applicability and timeliness, as well as from the lack of correspondence with the realities.”

Grosu announced May 15 that parliament would initiate a procedure for withdrawing from the CIS IPA​​​​​​​.

Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu said in an interview with local media in February that the country will begin to withdraw from agreements with the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) due to Chisinau's "goal of European integration."

A month later, Chisinau announced its decision to recall its representative in the executive body of the CIS.

The CIS is a regional organization formed after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 by its former members to encourage cooperation in economic, political and security affairs.