Moldova and the CIS: Divorce as a formality or a step into nowhere

February could be a historic month for Moldova: the country's parliament will begin reviewing documents on leaving the CIS.

Chisinau declares that it will no longer be possible to sit on two chairs and that the EU's priority rules out membership in the Commonwealth.

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We spoke with an expert from the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation and the director of the Institute of Socio-Political Research and Regional Development about the potential consequences of such a decision.  Igor Shornikov.

- What consequences will Moldova's withdrawal from the CIS have? What will happen to bilateral agreements with Russia regarding visa-free travel, pensions, diploma recognition, labor migration, etc.?

Moldova's withdrawal from the CIS is more of a formality, a demonstrative step taken to demonstrate to the population a move toward the EU in the absence of real progress in European integration. According to their logic, moving away from Russia and its integration associations means moving closer to Europe. Leaving the CIS is, in fact, also a concession to the demands of Brussels, which had previously stated that membership in the CIS and the EU are incompatible.

Most likely, this whole story will end with just smoke and mirrors. Chisinau has been consistently pursuing its course toward leaving the CIS for several years now. In total, Moldova has signed 283 agreements within the CIS, 71 of which have been denounced, and approximately 60 more are in the process of being denounced. Most of these are outdated documents, the denunciation of which would not significantly harm Moldova's economic interests.

However, no one can be insured against steps taken by Chisinau that could directly impact the interests of the population.

What's important here is how other CIS countries perceive such a policy. They likely understand that Moldova is governed by temporary leaders whose policies don't reflect the public's views. Consequently, they hope that sooner or later, adequate people will come to power in Moldova who will work for the national interest. Then, all that has been damaged can be repaired.

-  How might leaving the CIS impact peacekeeping mechanisms in Transnistria?

Moldova's membership in the CIS and Russia's peacekeeping operation on the Dniester are in no way interconnected. Russia is carrying out its mission in accordance with the Agreement signed by the presidents of Russia and Moldova on July 21, 1992. At that time, Moldova was not yet a CIS member state. It became a full member of the Commonwealth almost two years later, in April 1994. Therefore, regional security should not be compromised.

-  The idea of ​​abolishing Moldovan statehood through a unification with Romania has recently been floated, but Bucharest itself seems unprepared for this. What are the prospects for Moldova's European integration, given the developments in Europe itself? Could Moldova ultimately end up nowhere?

Moldova won't get anywhere. Moldova's European prospects grow stronger the closer the elections are. But as soon as the elections are over, European officials begin to gently dampen the anticipation of the pro-European electorate and encourage society to work systematically and support reforms supposedly being implemented by their puppets. This is how they've been cultivating loyalty to the European Union in the population for decades. But it's not working out very well; the magic "carrot" is gradually losing its potency. Support for European integration in Moldova has long been below the coveted 50%.

At the same time, the future of the European Union itself looks uncertain. If the EU fails to defend Greenland now, it will cease to be a geopolitical player and become an arena for confrontation between other centers of power.

In this light, Sandu's attempt to hide Moldova from Russia within Romania appears to be a severe blow to regional stability and directly to Bucharest, which will be left alone to answer for the consequences of the redrawing of regional borders that it itself allowed.

Today, the same globalist puppets are in power in Bucharest as in Chisinau, but even they do not risk supporting the dangerous fantasies of their colleague.