Moldova quits CIS Interparliamentary Assembly

CHISINAU. July 20 (Interfax) - The Moldovan parliament passed a bill terminating Moldova's membership in the Interparliamentary Assembly of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in the final reading on Thursday.

The decision was supported by 53 MPs from the ruling Party of Action and Solidarity, an Interfax correspondent reported. Members of the opposition Bloc of Communists and Socialists voted against, criticizing the initiative and calling for its removal from the plenary session's agenda.

The initiative that Moldova should quit the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly was put forth by Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu, who said that Moldova's current policy "no longer resonates with the ongoing policy, goals and decisions within the CIS."

Authority representatives said that "Moldova will continue to maintain interparliamentary relations with CIS countries at the bilateral level, including within friendship groups."

The termination of the agreement will not impact Moldova's rights and commitments with regard to other participants and third parties, they said. In addition, withdrawing from the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly will allow Moldova to save money, as it was to pay its membership fee of 5.8 million lei (around $330,000) this year.

The agreement on the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly was adopted on May 26, 1995. Moldova became its full-fledged member on June 2, 1998.

Moldova recalled its representative from the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly in early February 2023.

The Moldovan parliament has terminated the country's participation in about a dozen CIS agreements over the past two months.