January 17 (SeeNews) - Moldova could scrap its association agreement with the European Union in 2018 if the Socialist Party (PSRM) wins majority in Parliament in the next general election, president Igor Dodon said on Tuesday.
Dodon, who was elected president in November, is a former PSRM leader. The Socialists are the second biggest group in Moldova's 101-seat parliament.
"I do not rule out that following the next parliamentary elections, if PSRM wins parliamentary majority, we will scrap this deal. I will support this," the Moldovan president told a joint news conference with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin during an official visit to Moscow, according to a press release issued by Dodon's office.
The association agreement with the European Union signed in 2014 failed to meet expectations, leading to the loss of Moldova's share of the Russian market and a drop in the volume of the country's exports to the EU, Dodon added.
Instead, Dodon would aim to begin talks on signing a "framework memorandum" for Moldova to join the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.
Moldova's association agreement with the European Union has been in full effect since July 2016. Following the signing of the treaty which meant that Moldova is opening its market for European products, Russia introduced temporary bans on imports of Moldovan products.
The European Union was Moldova's biggest trade partner in 2015. Around 60% of Moldova's exports were shipped to the EU that year. Russia followed a distant second with 12% and Belarus was third with 6.7%.
Vladimir Putin told the same news conference that Russia will work with Moldova to enhance economic ties, according to the press release.
"Much will depend on how Moldova builds its relations with the European Union, and by this I mean Moldova’s agreement on association with the European Union that was signed and enforced," Putin said.
The Russian president also said that Moscow has no objections to Moldova’s cooperation with the EU provided previous agreements are respected. "We have no objections if our counterparts, including Moldova, develop their relations with other countries, particularly in Europe. We would only like to remain informed, so that things that we have achieved are not destroyed while our economies and social sector continue to develop leading to growth in living standards."
The tiny landlocked ex-Soviet state of Moldova has a population of some 3 million people. The country has strong historical and political ties with its western neighbour Romania, with more than 75% of the population speaking Romanian.