«This is, of course, not the choice of ordinary Moldovans, but a decision by the leadership. A short-sighted one, I believe. Moreover, the leadership itself understands this and is trying to maintain its participation in the Free Trade Agreement,» the head of state noted.

In this regard, he urged Moldova’s leadership to preserve opportunities for the country’s ordinary citizens to maintain interaction channels, at least at the initial stage. «Simply put, why lose what we already have?» he said.

«History always repeats itself. We already have the experience of Georgia leaving the CIS, but today we see how the situation is changing. It is obvious that returning to normal relations is easier via the well-established tracks of the CIS mechanisms. Moreover, launching more serious formats for deepening cooperation is simpler if you have the basis of our CIS,» the Belarusian leader stated.