Newly sworn-in Moldovan President to visit Russia
Moldovan President Igor Dodon, who was sworn in on Friday, will visit Moscow after the New Year holiday, as stated by the Russian Ambassador in Chisinau, Farit Mukhametshin, TASS reported.
Dodon, a pro-Russian politician and former leader of the Moldovan Party of Socialists, beat his pro-European rival Maia Sandu in a run off vote on November 13th.
"Russian President Vladimir Putin, when congratulating Dodon, invited him to Moscow. The visit is planned for mid-January. The date and program of the visit are currently being discussed," Mukhametshin said.
Dodon, in turn, stated, "We are comprehensively preparing for talks, taking into account many problems that have accumulated between our countries. We want to discuss the resumption of supplying Moldovan products to the Russian market, difficulties that our migrants face, the Transnistrian settlement. It is not easy to resolve these and other questions on the agenda.”
"As I have already said, this will require negotiations in the trilateral format, together with Russia and EU. I hope that will launch such talks already next year," Dodon stated.
"The second question is no less important. Over half a million Moldovan migrants work in Russia. Tens of thousands violated the migration regime for different reasons and cannot return to Russia to work. They need help," he added.
At the same time, Dodon noted that he plans to visit Brussels after traveling to Moscow.
"Neutrality is a something sacred, which no one can take away from us," he said at his inauguration. "We will build bridges to the East and to the West."