BUCHAREST, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- Moldova has launched a legal process to withdraw from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the Moscow-led bloc formed after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mihai Popsoi said on Monday.
Popsoi said authorities are in the process of approving the denunciation of three core agreements underpinning Moldova's membership in the CIS and will submit the relevant documents to parliament at the start of its next session. The agreements include the CIS Charter signed in Minsk in January 1993, the agreement establishing the CIS signed in December 1991, and its annex signed later that month.
"The denunciation of these three basic agreements will mean that, from a legal point of view, Moldova is no longer a CIS member," Popsoi said in an interview with Radio Moldova, the state-run radio station.
He added that although the country has already suspended active participation in the bloc, it has remained a member in legal terms until now.
Popsoi said the government expects to complete internal procedures by mid-February, after which parliament will decide on the withdrawal.
He noted that some CIS agreements that continue to benefit Moldovan citizens and do not conflict with the country's European aspirations may remain in force.
Moldova has signed a total of 283 agreements within the CIS framework, of which 71 have already been denounced and around 60 are currently undergoing termination procedures, according to the foreign minister.
Moldova declared independence from the Soviet Union on Aug. 27, 1991, and became a founding member of the CIS in December 1991. ■
