Moldova's parliament approves exit from Russia-led CIS
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The Moldovan parliament approved withdrawing from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in the second reading on April 2, as the country moves to sever ties with the Russia-led bloc.
Sixty Moldovan lawmakers gave final approval to denouncing the CIS's founding agreement, its protocol, and its charter.
The move is a "natural and inevitable step towards European integration," the parliament said in a press release.
Under President Maia Sandu and her Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS), Moldova has strengthened ties with European partners on the path toward potential EU membership while distancing itself from Russia.
The CIS is an intergovernmental organization established to formalize economic and diplomatic ties among the former Soviet states. Several countries, including Ukraine and Georgia, have left the bloc.
The Moldovan Foreign Ministry initiated the exit from the CIS by arguing that Russia has violated its key principles by "waging war against Ukraine, threatening Georgia, and illegally maintaining its troops on Moldovan territory."
Russia has occupied the Moldovan region of Transnistria since a war in the 1990s, maintaining a contingent of troops in the area.
The Moldovan parliament previously supported the exit in the first reading on March 20.
The motion should now be approved by the Moldovan president, and a formal notification must be sent to the CIS Executive Committee at least 12 months before the withdrawal takes effect.
Chisinau announced its intention to leave the bloc after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, prompting criticism from Moscow.
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