Moldova moves to close Russian cultural centre

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CHISINAU - Moldova's pro-EU government on Wednesday approved a bill to close the Russian cultural centre, drawing condemnation from the Kremlin and pro-Russian opposition at home.

President Maia Sandu has repeatedly accused Russia of interference in the ex-Soviet country bordering Ukraine.

Her party overwhelmingly won parliamentary elections in September, keeping the small country of 2.4 million people on its pro-European path.

At its first meeting, the new cabinet approved a draft law on the cultural centre, a government statement said.

Culture Minister Cristian Jardan said the centre was "by no means cultural".

"It was a centre under the cover of which activities were carried out to undermine the sovereignty of the Republic of Moldova," he said in the statement.

The bill ends a 1998 agreement between Moldova and Russia on cultural centres that led to the establishment of the centre in Chisinau in 2009.

The centre employed six Russian diplomats in 2023, according to local media.

"It's a great shame that Moldova's leadership continues to antagonise our country," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, including from AFP, during a briefing in Moscow on Wednesday.

"One can only express regret here," Peskov said in reaction to the bill.

Moldova announced its intention to close the centre in February.

It is not clear when parliament will vote on the bill.

The pro-Russian Socialists opposition party slammed the draft law as a "new expression" of "Russophobic policy".

The government "persists in destroying Moldova's long-standing relations with one of its most important strategic partners," they said in a statement.