Moldova’s meeting with Putin was breakthrough

Moldovan President Igor Dodon has described his meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Wednesday as a breakthrough.

"This is my second official visit to Russia. It is a breakthrough primarily because of the decisions that we made today," he said in an interview with TASS First Deputy Director General Mikhail Gusman. "These are the decisions Moldova’s citizens have been looking forward to."

According to Dodon, those were decisions in four areas. "First of all, it is exports. You know that our producers have begun to return to the Russian market over the past year and a half thanks to the agreements that had been reached. Today we agreed that duties imposed on a number of commodity items, namely, vegetable, fruits, canned fruits and vegetables and wine products would be removed for six months as of January 1, 2019, so that these goods can enter the Russian market," he pointed out.

"The second decision concerns Moldova’s citizens. More than 500,000 of our citizens work in Russia, about 200,000 of them have various violations of immigration rules. We agreed that amnesty would be announced under Article 26 and 27 of Russia’s immigration legislation," Dodon stressed.

"We agreed to consider declaring 2019 the Year of Moldova in Russia and 2020 - the Year of Russia in Moldova. I also asked to increase the number of state-funded quotas for young people from Moldova who want to study in Russia. I was told that this request would be considered," the president said.

"And, finally, I suggested that Russia explore the possibility of providing funding for the infrastructure projects that link the left and right banks [of the Dniester]. For example, why not repair the Chisinau-Tiraspol highway? Vladimir Vladimirovich [Putin] said that was an interesting idea, they are ready to consider it," Moldova’s president concluded.