Moldova approves draft bill denouncing agreements on CIS broadcaster Mir

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Moldova on Thursday announced that it approved a draft bill denouncing agreements regarding the activities of Mir, a broadcasting company owned by the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

“According to the document, the aim is to protect the national audiovisual space and ensure information security, taking into account the current dangers to regional and national security, caused by the aggression of the Russian Federation on Ukraine,” a statement by the Moldovan parliament read.

The statement said that Moldova has paid 40.3 million Moldovan leu ($2.2 million) to the representative office of Mir in Moldova between 2000 and 2022.

It further noted that the draft bill was approved following a vote by 56 deputies in the second reading.

Moldovan Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu said in an interview with local media in February that the country will begin to withdraw from agreements with the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) due to Chisinau's "goal of European integration."

A month later, Chisinau announced its decision to recall its representative in the executive body of the CIS.

The CIS is a regional organization formed after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 by its former members to encourage cooperation in economic, political, and security affairs.​​​​​​​