Moldovan parliament terminates agreement with Russia on cultural centers

This is according to Point.md, Ukrinform reports.

The bill was supported by 60 deputies who voted in favor of ending the agreement.

NewsMaker adds that during the discussion, Stella Makar, a deputy from the ruling PAS party, proposed opening a European center in place of the Russian House located in central Chisinau.

According to her, such a space could become "a hub of cultural democracy and European resilience."

In response, Moldova's Minister of Culture, Cristian Jardan, stated that the building is privately owned.

"We are denouncing the agreement, not closing the center. It will cease operations immediately after the agreement expires. The building housing the Russian House is privately owned. What happens next depends on the owners," he emphasized.

At the same time, Jardan noted that the deputy's initiative "deserves attention."

On November 5, the Moldovan government approved the decision to denounce the agreement with Russia, which will result in the closure of the Russian House in Chisinau.

Minister Jardan stated that the center "represents not Russian culture, but Russian aggression."

The Kremlin expressed "regret over this decision by Chisinau," claiming that it "contradicts the interests of the republic's population."

Ukrinform previously reported that in February of this year, Azerbaijan sent Russia an official note to terminate the activities of the Rossotrudnichestvo agency in the country and close the Russian House.

Additionally, in 2023, the Berlin prosecutor's office launched an investigation into the Russian Center of Science and Culture operating in Germany's capital, examining its activities for potential violations of the law on foreign economic activity.

Photo: parlament.md