Moldova leaves the Commonwealth of Independent States

Earlier, on April 2, the Moldovan parliament voted to withdraw from the CIS founding agreement, its protocol, and the organisation’s charter. Out of 101 deputies, 60 voted in favor of leaving the organisation. Therefore, the decision was not unanimous. Deputies from the Communist Party and the Socialist Party voted against the withdrawal. The parliament’s press service described the exit process as “a natural and inevitable step on the path toward the European Union.”

Moldova’s disengagement from CIS structures has not been a sudden process. Chișinău has not participated in the organisation’s activities since 2022, following Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. That same year, Moldova expressed its interest in joining the European Union and obtained candidate status. A year later, the Moldovan government terminated approximately 70 agreements with the CIS as part of efforts to align its national policies, as well as legal and economic frameworks, with EU standards and norms.

The Commonwealth of Independent States is an international organisation comprising countries that were part of the former USSR. In principle, the CIS is intended to formalise, among other things, cooperation in political, economic, and security matters. In practice, however, it serves as a tool for the Russian Federation to exert influence by fostering dependency among other member states. Ukraine and Georgia have already left the CIS. After Moldova’s withdrawal, the remaining members will be Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. Turkmenistan remains an associate member of the CIS.