Russia to resume economic ties with Moldova with due account of Chisinau-EU relations - Putin

MOSCOW, January 17. /TASS/. Russia will work with Moldova to resume economic ties with due account of the Chisinau’s relations with the European Union, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday after his talks with visiting Moldovan President Igor Dodon. "Much will depend on how Moldova builds its relations with the European Union. I mean Moldova’s agreement on association with the European Union that was signed and enforced," he said. "There are certain risks for us in this context," the Russian leader admitted. "These risks are of the same nature we had after similar documents were signed between Ukraine and the European Union. To my mind, we have always been telling about this quite openly and in a well-argued manner to our partners both in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and in Europe." "Much can and must be done in this context in the trilateral format, naturally, if our European friend and our Moldovan partners want it," Putin stressed. According to Putin, many Moldovan companies are already selling their products in Russia. "We have agreed that a number of Moldovan companies will be additionally inspected by relevant Russian structures and I don’t rule out, I am almost sure, that the number of companies enjoying the right to export their products to the Russian market will go up," he said. The same, in his words, is applicable to issues of labor migration. "From the point of view of the problem of unwanted persons’ entering our territory, we have less threats coming from Moldova than from other countries," Putin said, adding that many Moldovans are economically dependent on jobs in Russia. "We understand it and want to help," the Russian leader pledged. "I think we will find a solution." Read more