June 14 (SeeNews) - Moldova is considering whether to continue being a member of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) amid Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine, foreign minister Nicu Popescu said.
"We will carry out a comprehensive analysis to see how Moldova's interests align with its participation in the CIS, an organisation which we must admit, is affected by the regional situation created by Russia's aggression on Ukraine," Popescu said on Monday evening during a talk-show on ProTV Moldova.
Popescu added that Moldova's top priority now is to become a member of the European Union.
At the end of May, President Maia Sandu announced that Moldova is not considering a withdrawal of its membership in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) for the time being. "Let's speak impartially: the CIS is not only Russia but also other countries. Chisinau enjoys trade and economic benefits not only from its relations with Russia but also from cooperating with other countries," Sandu said at the time.
The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional intergovernmental organization formed following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Its member states are Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.
Moldova applied for membership in the European Union in March.
In May, the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling on the European Commission to grant Moldova EU candidate status.
"Against the backdrop of Russia’s war against Ukraine, Parliament welcomes Moldova’s formal EU membership application on March 3 2022 and says the EU should grant it candidate status, in line with Article 49 TEU and ‘on the basis of merit," the European Parliament said at the time.