The Parliament of Moldova adopted the agreement on the establishment of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and the annulment of its protocol in the final reading. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Moldova stated that it will take 1 year for the country to officially withdraw from the CIS.
It should be recalled that before Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine also withdrew from the CIS.
According to analysts, Moldova's decision regarding the CIS raises questions about the future fate of this organization.
Speaking to Modern.az regarding the issue, former Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov stated that Azerbaijan does not need to follow the same path:
"The CIS has not done any harm to Azerbaijan. This organization is a platform where meetings are held and speeches are made in various places. After that, you go home and do your work. From this perspective, I do not think that withdrawing from the CIS would be beneficial for Azerbaijan. Now I don't know what will happen tomorrow...
Georgia withdrew from the CIS due to the South Ossetia and Abkhazia issues, and Ukraine due to the war. Moldova is also concerned due to certain anxieties. However, I do not think Azerbaijan needs to follow their path.
As for the fate of the CIS, I can say that everything will remain as it is. The CIS is a large train. Russia is at its forefront. Russia is a large country, and it will gradually carry out the organization's activities together with Central Asian countries and Azerbaijan. But again, I say, if a major tragedy occurs tomorrow, perhaps the situation will change. For example, they said that the Russia-Ukraine war would end soon. But today, I see no possibility of the war stopping. They cannot even achieve a ceasefire".
The former minister answered a question about Armenia's withdrawal from the CSTO as follows: "If we analyze the issue deeply, we can conclude that Armenia does not want to fully withdraw from the CSTO. Because there is a security issue at stake. If Armenia withdraws from the CSTO, how will it protect its security? Pashinyan says they must sign peace with Azerbaijan for security. Whether this is a working formula or not, the issue needs to be analyzed deeply.
Although Armenia does not pay for CSTO membership and does not participate in its events, it is a member on paper. Now in Armenia, they are looking for an answer to the question "who will protect Armenia instead of this organization?" I am absolutely sure that even Armenia itself does not know what to do".
Elmar Mammadyarov also shared his thoughts on the parliamentary elections to be held in Armenia in June this year: "One of the interesting points was Vladimir Putin's hint at Samvel Karapetyan's participation in the elections during his meeting with Pashinyan. This was not the right approach. Armenia has laws. Only an Armenian citizen can be elected prime minister. Since Samvel Karapetyan is a Russian citizen, it is not possible for him to become prime minister. It is highly likely that Russia will interfere in the elections in Armenia. Armenia is a close and important country for Russia. Pashinyan does not just say that Armenia will always be by Russia's side. I don't know if Pashinyan's statement is a toast or if he truly thinks so. But Russia has its say.
In my opinion, Pashinyan and his party may win the June 7 elections. The majority of the Armenian population will vote for Pashinyan. I cannot say by what percentage he will win. Incidentally, there are also claims that Pashinyan will have to enter a coalition. I do not consider these claims to be true. The opposition candidates are Robert Kocharyan and Samvel Karapetyan. How can Pashinyan form a coalition with them? From this perspective, I believe he will govern alone".
